The Japan Boxing Commission and Japan Pro Boxing Association jointly decided on Nov. 10 to get to the bottom of the sudden cancellation of the Nov. 3 World Boxing Association light flyweight title match in Osaka due to Japan’s super champion Hiroto Kyoguchi and his chief trainer having tested positive for the novel coronavirus in PCR tests the preceding day.

Holding an online liaison meeting, the JBC and JPBA will thoroughly study the possible infection routes and safe control at Watanabe Boxing Gym in Tokyo to which the two belong.

The title match attracted a lot of attention as it was supposed to be Japan’s first men’s world championship bout since the outbreak of the COVID-19 earlier this year.

JBC Secretary General Tsuyoshi Yasukochi said, ‘’If things like this continue, staging boxing events will become difficult. We at the liaison committee will investigate the cancellation, and based on that we will decide whether or not we can give our approval to a world title match.’’

Concretely, the JBC and JPBA will have Watanabe gym report on its safety measures against the COVID-19 within the gym in about two weeks, not to mention the probable infection routes. Altogether, a total of five people, including Kyoguchi and the chief trainer, have tested positive in PCR tests.

By the same token, they decided to have a gym be in charge of making not only pro boxers but also amateur boxers and trainees to take exams for pro boxers take PCR tests if they want to do sparring at a different gym or gyms and inform the JBC to that effect.