Kosei Tanaka Retires Due to Eye Injuries

Kosei Tanaka, the fastest boxer to win world titles in four weight divisions, has retired at age 29 due to repeated and serious eye injuries, including years-long battles with retinal detachment. Tanaka captured WBO championships in strawweight, light-flyweight, flyweight, and super-flyweight within just 21 professional fights, surpassing Oscar De La Hoya’s record. His final fight was a close loss to Phumelele Cafu in October 2023, after which he underwent surgery on both eyes due to vision loss suffered during the bout. Despite the operations, his eyesight did not fully recover, and he faced a risk of blindness if he continued boxing. Tanaka expressed some disappointment at not achieving all his goals but stated he has no regrets and wishes to remain in the sport in a new capacity. He retires with a 20-2 record, including 11 knockouts.