Ginjiro Shigeoka, the Japanese fighter who fell into a coma after losing his bid to dethrone Filipino Pedro Taduran over the weekend in Osaka, is reportedly showing signs of improvement.

In a post by Viva Promotions, which has a promotional stake in Taduran, an update on the social media account of Ginjiro’s brother Yudai said that the injured boxer “can now breathe on his own.”

“On the fifth day of his hospitalization, the medical professionals informed us that the most critical week had passed, which was the most trying time for Ginjiro and our family. Although Ginjiro was initially unable to breathe without a respiratory apparatus, he can now breathe on his own, with other health indicators also showing improvement,” Viva Promotions post said on Thursday quoting Yudai’s Instagram post.

Shigeoka dropped a 12-round split decision to Taduran in a quest to regain the International Boxing Federation minimumweight crown at the Intex Osaka last 24 May. He was brought out of the ring on a stretcher after collapsing near his corner after the official announcement was made.

Taduran and Shigeoka had fought intensely in their first meeting last year and the Japanese had to be stretchered out of the ring for precautionary measures after absorbing a ninth-round stoppage.

Last Tuesday, the Japan Boxing Commission declared that Ginjiro will not be allowed to fight again after undergoing a brain operation.