Former WBC world light-flyweight champion Yudai Shigeoka has officially announced his retirement from professional boxing at the age of 28.
The reason for his early exit is that Yudai’s younger brother, Ginjiro, who is also a boxer, is still in a coma following brain surgery in May of this year. Ginjiro underwent the operation after collapsing after his fight against Pedro Taduran.
Kumamoto's Yudai is retiring from boxing to be with at his beloved brother's side and to support his family during this difficult time.
He announced the news through a press statement that read: “Today, I, Yudai, have decided to retire from boxing. Thanks to the doctors and nurses at the Osaka National Hospital Medical Center, Ginjiro is still alive. We are truly grateful. They saved his life.”
As an amateur, Yudai won four national titles as a pinweight. He intended to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games but decided to turn pro after it was revealed the junior-flyweight division was expunged from the Games.
The talented Yudai turned pro in 2021 and won his debut via second-round stoppage in Tokyo. He became the Japanese Youth light-flyweight champion in just his third bout, then added the WBO Asia Pacific belt in his fourth fight.
He became a Japanese national champion in November 2022, just 13 months after his pro bow.
In April 2023, he became the WBC Interim minimumweight champion after knocking out Wilfredo Mendez in seven rounds. On the same card, his brother Ginjiro also won an Interim title at minimumweight with the IBF.
On October 7 of the same year, he became the WBC world minimumweight champion, defeating Panya Pradabsri by unanimous decision in a 12-round war to claim the crown.
In his first title defence in March 2024, Filipino Melvin Jerusalem defeated him by split decision. They faced each other again a year later, and Jerusalem won once more. That became Yudai Shigeoka’s last ever fight.