Ozeki Hoshoryu upended sole leader Kinbozan on Thursday, January 23 to ensure there is plenty of drama left in the New Year Basho.
In the day's featured bout, Hoshoryu came bursting out of the face-off and then swatted Kinbozan down to hand the man from Kazakhstan his second loss of the 15-day tournament.
Mongolian Hoshoryu also kept his title hopes alive and improved to 9-3 while Kinobozan, who was guilty of poor footwork after the initial charge, dropped to 10-2.
No 14 maegashira Kinbozan is bidding for his first top division title. Hoshoryu, who came into the tournament as a potential candidate to earn promotion to yokozuna, likely won't achieve that but could still win his second Emperor's Cup.
Impressive Performance at the New Year Basho
In other major bouts at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, No 11 maegashira Takerufuji displayed his incredible strength when he was pushed to the edge but used a powerful thrust to send ozeki Kotozakura toppling to the dirt surface.
Takerufuji remains in the title chase at 9-3 while Kotozakura, winner of the November 2024 tournament, dropped to 5-7 and is in danger of finishing with a losing record.
Mongolian top maegashira Kirishima continued his impressive streak when he won his ninth straight bout by throwing No 3 Oho out at the edge to give both grapplers a 9-3 record.
After he lost his opening three bouts, Kirishima has done nothing but win and finds himself with a shot at the title with three days left.
Onosato Conquers Chiyoshoma on Day 12
Ozeki Onosato grabbed the belt of Chiyoshoma after the face-off and bulldozed the fifth-ranked maegashira out to give both men a record of 8-4.
Fourth-ranked maegashira Shodai gave Abi a taste of his own medicine when he used a barrage of powerful arm thrusts to send the komusubi out over the edge.
Former ozeki Shodai improved to 6-6 while Abi dropped to 7-5.
Komusubi Wakatakakage was pushed back to the edge but wriggled free and managed to shove out third-ranked Gonoyama to give both men a record of 6-6.
Sekiwake Daieisho improved to 8-4 and wrapped up a winning record after thrusting down fourth-ranked Ura, who dropped to 6-6.
An Update on the Juryo Division
In the second-tier juryo division there was a rare all-Ukrainian showdown.
No 4 juryo Shishi thrust down fifth-ranked Aonishiki. Shishi leads the juryo division at 11-1 followed by Aonishiki and No 3 Ryuden at 10-2.
RELATED:
- Kinbozan Comes Up Big with Clutch Win over Onosato to Stay in Lead at New Year Basho
- Abi Defeats Frontrunner Kinbozan as New Year Basho Remains Up for Grabs
- Kinbozan Remains in Control as Hoshoryu Falters Again at New Year Basho
- New Year Basho: Shodai Upsets Hoshoryu to Deal a Blow to His Yokozuna Promotion Hopes
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.
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