Terunofuji Pushed to the Brink at Spring Basho After 2nd Straight Loss

Rank-and-filer Oho handed yokozuna Terunofuji his second straight loss of the Spring Basho on Thursday, March 14 raising concerns the lone grand champion may be forced to withdraw.

In the day's final bout at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, No 3 maegashira Oho stunned the yokozuna when he shoved him back to the edge before using a frontal force-out to dispatch Mongolian Terunofuji. 

"I just tried to go on the attack from the outset," said Oho, who improved to 2-3.

Added Oho, "I was nervous from this morning about this bout so it's a huge relief to get this big win."

Terunofuji, who dropped to 2-3, lost to Meisei on the previous day of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament and appeared to favor his right knee in the bout against Oho.

While he is bidding for a coveted 10th Emperor's Cup, it will be difficult for him to continue if he is unable to put pressure on the right knee. He is scheduled to face Takanosho on Day 6. 

The tournament lead is shared by komusubi Abi and rank-and-filers Onosato and Takerufuji all at 5-0.

Hoshoryu Conquers Asanoyama

In other major bouts, ozeki Hoshoryu unleashed a spectacular arm throw at the edge to defeat Asanoyama.

Top maegashira Asanoyama forced Hoshoryu back to the edge and things didn't look good for the ozeki. But the Mongolian got a right-handed grip on the belt and sent his larger opponent toppling off the raised ring.

Hoshoryu is one win off the pace at 4-1 while Asanoyama fell to 3-2.

Kirishima Ends Winless Spell at Spring Basho

Ozeki Kirishima finally picked up his first win of the 15-day tournament when he swatted down Meisei shortly after the face-off. No 2 maegashira Meisei fell to 2-3.

Top maegashira Ura (3-2) gave his home fans a thrill when he deployed an under-shoulder swing-down to defeat newly promoted ozeki Kotonowaka (3-2).

It was the third win over an ozeki wrestler in this tournament for Ura, who has shown considerable progress in recent tournaments. He also defeated Hoshoryu and Kirishima.

"My aim is just to do my best without thinking about the opponent too much," said Osaka native Ura. "But it is important to do well against ozeki and hopefully it will help me move up the ranks."

Another ozeki faltered when No 2 maegashira Atamifuji used a frontal push-out to defeat Takakeisho to give both grapplers a record of 3-2.

Takakeisho needs at least eight wins in this tournament to maintain his ozeki status for the Summer Basho in May.

Abi held on to a share of the lead at 5-0 when he capitalized on superb footwork on the edge to swat out fellow komusubi Nishikigi, who fell to 1-4.

Takerufuji Improves to 5-0

Further down the ranks, makuuchi division rookie Takerufuji, a No 17 maegashira, maintained his share of the lead at 5-0 when he shoved out top juryo grappler Tokihayate (3-2). 

No 5 maegashira Onosato also stands at 5-0 after he won on Day 5 by default when seventh-ranked Kinbozan was forced to withdraw with injury, dropping to 1-4.

RELATED:

• Terunofuji Outlasts Asanoyama to Post Second Straight Win at the Spring Basho
• Lone Yokozuna Terunofuji Bounces Back on Day 2 of Spring Basho
• Yokozuna Terunofuji Upset on Opening Day of Spring Basho

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.