Sumo

[CONN CHRIS]

For those that don't know, a kinboshi is when a wrestler not in the Senyaku (top four ranks in the top division) defeats a Yokozuno. Each kinboshi represents a monetary bonus of about $2,000 per year that the wrestler will recieve throughout their career until they retire or drop below the Juryo (second) division.


Collecting kinboshi gold stars can translate into real money for some of these guys.

[Magus978]

Updating the Juryo standings after day 14.

Tsurugisho (J6) 12-2
=================================
Daiamami (J8) 10-4
Takanofuji (J12) 10-4
=================================
Yutakayama (J3) 9-5
Kiribayama (J9) 9-5
Mitoryu (J9) 9-5
=================================
Ishiura (J2) 8-6
Chiyoshoma (J3) 8-6
Takanosho (J4) 8-6
Wakatakakage (J4) 8-6
Daishomaru (J7) 8-6
Hidenoumi (J7) 8-6
Kyokutaisei (J11) 8-6
Ichiyamamoto (J13) 8-6
=================================
Azumaryu (J1) 7-7
Kyokushuho (J7) 7-7
Kizakiumi (J13) 7-7
Kotonowaka (J14) 7-7
=================================
Tokushoryu (J1) 6-8
Tobizaru (J6) 6-8
=================================
Ikioi (J8) 5-9
Arawashi (J10) 5-9
Chiyonoumi (J10) 5-9
=================================
Ryuko (J12) 4-10
Akiseyama (J14) 4-10
=================================
Gagamaru (J2) 3-11
Sokokurai (J5) 3-11
=================================
Aminishiki (J11) 0-3-8 (Retired)

Tsurugiho has clinched the Juryo division title, his first in the division. Four fighters will enter day 15 of Juryo competition still needing to win for a kachi-koshi, including Azumaryu who we saw as a fill-in during the Makuuchi division tournament.

[CONN CHRIS]

Final day including the Jonkuchi playoff (interesting in that it shows how a three-way tie for the Yusho is resolved). Really good final match!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgwRrfYWbpk

[Magus978]

Heading over to NattoSumo for my commentary. The battle for the Yusho concludes today. A lot to be settled not just at the top, but in the middle of the division. Let's go.

- Starting it off with a pair of fighters looking to avoid a 10-loss Basho in Chiyomaru and Nishikigi. Have to think Chiyomaru's Makuuchi status will be under fire next tournament, especially after this last clunker. Nishikigi finds it way too easy to push out his opponent and will finish 6-9.

- It's the little big man up next, as Enho (8-6) takes to the ring against Daishoho (6-8). After a false start, our little big man gets very low and is able to bring Daishoho to a knee, ending the bout. Enho finishes at 9-6.

- Shohozan (6-8) and Tochiozan (4-10) are each looking at a drop in rank. How steep of one remains to be seen. Tochiozan wins with a good slap. If it seems like I'm speeding through these early bouts, it's because I kinda' am. I'll put more effort into the meaningful ones, I promise.

- Speaking of meaningful bouts, first bout of which a kachi-koshi is on the line. 7-7 Kagayaki faces 7-7 Okinoumi. After letting Kagayaki do a lot of the work early on, Okinoumi turns the tables and gets him out via Yorikiri. Okinoumi finishes kachi-koshi at 8-7, while Kagayaki has to take a 7-8 make-koshi.

- The unsung hero of the tournament, 11-3 Terutsuyoshi, who was in contention for the Yusho right up until yesterday, faces off with 11-3 Tomokaze where the winner will clinch 3rd place. Terutsuyoshi gets out of the box strong, and gets Tomokaze out via Oshidashi just before he hits the ground! Terutsuyoshi finishes 12-3, a yusho-winning record most tournaments, but unfortunately not this one.

- Myogiryu (8-6) takes on Kotoyuki (10-4) in a battle of men who will be improving their rank. Kotoyuki moves on Myogiryu quickly an wins via Oshidashi. Nice basho for Kotoyuki, who finishes on 11-4. Myogiryu, who looked strong earlier in the tournament, finishes at 8-7.

- Another battle of 7-7 fighters, Chiyotairyu vs Toyonoshima up next and they both know the implications of this fight. Chiyotairyu uses a strong push attack and is able to take Toynoshima off his feet. Chiyotairyu gets his kachi-koshi, while Toyonoshima looks heartbroken to have lost. I'm afraid it's a make-koshi for him.

- The disappointing Yago (4-10), who may be in his last Makuuchi fight for now, takes on 5-9 Takarafuji. They stay in the center early on, battle of the mawashi-grab. The spirit seemed to drain from Yago as the fight wore on, and Takarafuji was too happy to take advantage. Yorikiri victory for Takarafuji, but he'll be disappointed with how he's performed this tournament.

- Kotoeko (9-5) had a 7 match winning streak snapped yesterday by Tomokaze, but will look to rebound and finish with 10 wins against 8-6 Ichinojo, who has a kinboshi bonus to his name. Ichinojo finds the form that found him that kinboshi bonus and is just too much for Kotoeko. Both finish at 9-6.

- Shodai and Takagenji are next. Not a lot of hype for this one as both already have clinched make-koshi. Shodai wants to win though, so he makes quick work of Takagenji and finishes 7-8. His rank drop should be minimal if any. Can't say the same for 4-11 Takagenji.

- Daieisho already has his kachi-koshi at 8-6, but Aoiyama must win today to get his, so there's something on the line here. Daieisho tries to get aggressive off the charge, but Aoiyama just slaps him down. The Bulgarian gets his 8th win. Nicely done.

- Winner gets to 10 wins in this one. Endo steps in against Hokutofuji. After a false start, Hokutofuji gets Endo off balance, but the great spirit from Endo keeps him in the bout! After a balancing act to stay in the ring, Endo gets bold and pushes forward...and is able to get Hokutofuji out for the victory! Great spirit from Endo to come from behind and get his 10th win. Great bout!

- Asanoyama had visions of making Komusubi this tournament. At 6-8, he won't do that. Sadanoumi just wanted to stay in the division, but he'll do that for sure. Very little on the line in this one. Asanoyama fighting hard in this one, always had the advantage in the bout, and is able to force Sadanoumi out. Sadanoumi took a pretty nasty spill, but it looks like he's okay.

- A fight of disappointment up next, as 3-11 Meisei faces 4-10 Ryuden. Ryuden is surely going back into the Maegashira ranks after this one...and his lack of spirit shows here, as Meisei just overruns him. Both finish at 4-11.

- Onosho vs Tamawashi next, and again not a lot on the line here. Tamawashi's won 3 straight, but far too late in the day to save his Sekiwake status. However, Tamawashi knows the value of finishing strong, and was able to slap Onosho down.

- Up next is Abi vs Kotoshogiku. Winner gets to 8-7...and I'm gonna assume Abi needs this to retain Komusubi rank. Kotoshogiku has the momentum after stunning Hakuho yesterday. Kotoshogiku charges at the start, but Abi has the definitive counter to that with a downward slap! Apparently Abi gets his pay packet as well as an arrow. I wonder if he has a bow....okay I'm getting off track. Abi has his kachi-koshi, but he doesn't have a kinboshi bonus like Kotoshogiku does!

- Mitakeumi and Shimanoumi meet here in a battle of 8-6 fighters. Mitakeumi makes relatively quick work of his opponent via Yorikiri. Mitakeumi will finish 9-6.

- Main Event time! This one will decide if we get a playoff, or if it's all over right here. Hakuho (12-2) must have this one against Kakuryu (13-1). After some jostling for position early on, they settle in the middle of the ring. They go back and forth in this titanic contest, but then Kakuryu presses the advantage and lifts Hakuho to the edge and eventually out! There will be no playoff necessary as Kakuryu defeats Hakuho to finish 14-1 and the champion of the 2019 Nagoya Basho, his 6th Makuuchi championship! Hakuho finishes 12-3 and actually ends up in a tie with Terutsuyoshi for runner-up honors.

- Final leaderboard. We had 20 wrestlers make kachi-koshi, and 6 of them got to 10 wins. Down at the bottom, the rest were make-koshi and will lose rank. We'll find out in September how bad the drop was.

Real quickly now I'd like to cover the Kintayama video, which includes the Jonkuchi playoff. Let's have some commentary on that!

- Marushou faces Sakurai in the first match of the playoff. Sakurai is able to control the bout and gets Marushou out via Yorikiri. The rule is the first to win two straight wins the yusho, so he'll go next against Motobayashi. I assume that if Motobayashi wins, Marushou will get another chance.

- Here's that bout now. Sakurai can end it with a win, but Motobayashi will get his chance to win the yusho if he wins here. After a prolonged battle for position, Motobayashi is able to secure the win and extend the playoff with a takedown.

- Marushou gets his second chance, and he'll need to win to extend the playoff even further and give himself a chance to win the tournament! After a decent bout, Motobayashi does get the win via Oshidashi and he is your Jonkuchi champion! Congratulations to Motobayashi, and we hope we see more of all three of these competitors in the future.

That's it from Nagoya. See you in September for the next big tournament. Hakkeyoi!

[rudel.dietrich]

Going off this thread, these run for 14 days every two months?

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Going off this thread, these run for 14 days every two months?

15 days every odd numbered month. In between the big tournaments (basho) there are single day tourneys and training.

[rudel.dietrich]

Originally Posted by CONN CHRIS

15 days every odd numbered month. In between the big tournaments (basho) there are single day tourneys and training.

No wonder I read about so many injuries in this thread!

[CONN CHRIS]

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

No wonder I read about so many injuries in this thread!

Yeah, healing is tough. No real off season and a missed basho means a drop in rank and money so there is intense preasure to go along with no off season.

[Magus978]

The banzuke is out for the upcoming Honbasho!

http://sumo.or.jp/EnHonbashoBanzuke/index/

Some notables...

- Ichinojo at Maegashira 2
- Terutsuyoshi's hero run last tournament is rewarded with a promotion to Maegashira 9
- Azumaryu breaks into the Makuuchi ranks at Maegashira 15

- Among the relegated, Chiyomaru is at Juryo 1, Yago at Juryo 4, Yoshikaze at Juryo 7, and Kaisei at Juryo 8

[statfreak]

So, any predictions for the upcoming Basho?

I will say Tochinoshin somehow gets his 10 wins, but doesn't look great doing so.
Takakeisho wins less than 5 matches and withdraws at some point.
Hakuho goes 14-1 and wins the yūshō.
Ichinojo goes 9-7 and alternates between looking like a beast and a cream puff.

[Magus978]

A bit of pre-tournament news from Chris Gould...

Yoshikaze (J7) will miss the upcoming September tournament through injury, and will be relegated to the non-salaried ranks. Rather than work his way back through the unsalaried 3rd division, he will opt to retire.

Also, a few predictions from me for this tournament...

- Ichinojo gets 10 wins, but drops a few key matches early which will see him be a non-factor for the title.

- Terutsuyoshi may be due for a bit of a letdown, and I see him struggling to make 8 wins.

- Azumaryu will be one tournament and done at this level. I did not like what I saw from him during his cameo in July. 10+ losses and he's back down to Juryo in time for the winter tournament.

- Our little big man will also suffer some problems making kachi-koshi. Sadly I predict a 6-9 tournament for him.

- Tochinoshin will do just enough to avoid dropping out of Ozeki rank, then withdraw.

- None of the recently relegated rikishi will be a factor for the Juryo title. Kaisei will withdraw mid-tournament and retire, knowing that relegation to the third tier is not acceptable at this point.

- Kakuryu & Hakuho will go to a playoff to decide the tournament. If it happens, I'll flip a coin and decide at that point.

The time for our predictions to be answered nears. I for one cannot wait. Hakkeyoi!

[CONN CHRIS]

- One of the two Yokozunas will drop out with a phantom injury
- Baby Huey will be make-koshi
- Tochinoshin, much to my chagrin, will have another early exit and drop but will get his Ozeki rank back in November with ten wins
- Mitakiumi will take his second yusho

[CONN CHRIS]

Day 1 highlights for the Septrmber Basho


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ-lxdv4ygE


Takayasu pulled out

[CONN CHRIS]

My Mitekiumi hopes have died an early death.

[Magus978]

You know the drill...let's do some match by match commentary.

Welcome to Aki! New hope arises today as everyone starts over at 0-0. Let's see what happens over the next 15 days!

- We start off the top division matches with Takagenji (M17) against Chiyomaru (J1). Chiyomaru making a cameo because of Takayasu dropping out. Takagenji tries to force Chiyomaru out, but it's the Juryo who just sends Takagenji down and to defeat. Good start for Chiyomaru as he tries to make it back to Makuuchi at the first time of asking.

- Yutakayama (M16) was promoted from Juryo after a 9-6 tournament in the summer. Tochiozan has had a year's worth of losing records, and surely if he doesn't make kachi-koshi, he's relegated. Pretty good bout here as Tochiozan almost has Yutakayama on the brink, but the newly-promoted Yutakayama is able to turn the tide with a Kotenage.

- Pair of newly-promoted rikishi in this one as Ishiura (M15), who bounced right back from relegation in the spring, faces Azumaryu (M15), who's back in the top division after spending some time in the second tier. Ishiura and Azumaryu battle it out in the middle, but it's Ishiura who slips and falls to the clay. This one's over pretty quickly, and Azumaryu didn't really have to do a thing.

- Tsurugeisho (M14), the Juryo champion from the last tournament, faces Toyonoshima (M14), who went 7-8 this past summer in a make-koshi effort. Tsurugeisho looked the stronger of the two from the off, and eventually just forces Toyonoshima out.

- Kagayaki (M13) & Nishikigi (M13) have to be looking over their shoulders as relegation to Juryo could come for them if they have another bad tournament. After a pretty blatant false start, Nishikigi gets the duke with a shi-tatenage.

- Shohozan (M12) is probably on his way out sooner rather than later at the age of 35, but Daishoho (M12) has a lot to prove. Off the initial charge, Shohozan bounces right off of Daishoho. They rest in the middle, with the veteran making me eat my words today and tossing the heavier Daishoho to the ground.

- The popular Enho (M11) takes on Onosho (M11). Enho enters this tournament at 216 lbs, has not put on a lot of weight as of yet. This bout gets exciting very quickly, as Enho is making the heavier Onosho move more than he'd like, eventually tossing him out of the ring! The Enho fan club in loud voice today, as the little rikishi that could gets himself a day 1 victory!

- Sadanoumi (M10) takes on Meisei (M10) next. Sadanoumi tries to be aggressive and shove Meisei out, but it's Meisei who just lets him fall to the ground. Relatively effortless win for Meisei here, with Sadanoumi doing all the work.

- THE RICE GOES FLYING! It's Terutsuyoshi (M9) time! He faces Kotoyuki (M9). Both were the lower-rank heroes of the summer, going 12-3 and 11-4 respectively. Kotoyuki the aggressor early on, almost has Terutsuyoshi out, but a great counter move to escape the predicament leads Terutsuyoshi on the attack, and eventually he shoves Kotoyuki out and gets himself a day 1 win!

- Takarafuji (M8) faces Kotoeko (M7) in our second battle of "not the same rank" on the day. After a grueling battle of mawashi-grabbing, Takarafuji is able to force Kotoeko out for the victory.

- Kotoshogiku (M7) continues his attempt to climb back towards his personal best of Ozeki, and it starts by fighting Okinoumi (M8). Originally, the referee rules for Kotoshogiku, but during the bout Kotoshogiku was clearly out with the back of his foot touching the outside of the ring.

- Shimanoumi (M6) & Myogiryu (M6) face off next. Both finished 8-7 in the summer. They held each other for a little bit, trying to leverage their grips for position, but in the end it's Myogiryu who's able to score the victory via force out.

- Chiyotairyu (M5) & Ryuden (M5) are next on the dohyo. Ryuden's 4-11 record in the summer resulted in a sharp drop. Chiyotairyu went on the attack early, but Ryuden grabbed the mawashi after enduring the early slap assault, and was able to turn the bout around and force Chiyotairyu out. Ryuden, the winner via Yorikiri.

- Tamawashi (M4) dropped sharply from Sekiwake. He'll look to get it back this tournament, and to do that he'll need a good start against Shodai (M4). Good aggressive sumo from Tamawashi, and Shodai looked like a deer in the headlights. Tamawashi forces Shodai out and wins it.

- Abi (K) steps in against Tomokaze (M3). Abi rallied for an 8-7 record to save his Komusubi rank in the summer. Tomokaze managed a strong 11-4 record. Abi goes on the attack from the off, but perhaps gets too aggressive, as Tomokaze just lets him fall to the ground. Bad start for Abi.

- Daieisho (M3) takes on Takakeisho (S), who needs 10 wins to regain Ozeki rank. Takakeisho goes on the ultra attack early on, trying to brute force his way to victory, but Daieisho stands firm. Daieisho attacks pretty well too, and they go back and forth in a great bout. Eventually, Takakeisho is able to force a mistake out of Daieisho, and gets the win.

- Mitakeumi (S) faces Asanoyama (M2) next. Mitakeumi went 9-6 in the summer and earned promotion to Sekiwake. Asanoyama just missed a kachi-koshi, going 7-8 and missing out on a chance to potentially promote to Komusubi. Mitakeumi attacks early, but suddenly Asanoyama rushes him and pushes Mitakeumi out of the ring entirely and into the front row! It's take a sumo wrestler home day here in Aki!

- We haven't seen Tochinoshin (O) since the spring tournament, and as a kadoban Ozeki he needs a winning record to keep his rank. The journey to 8 wins starts with a bout against Ichinojo (M2). Tochinoshin gets a good jump, but really does not look in any form as he goes quietly down to the ground. Easy win for Ichinojo.

- Have another kadoban Ozeki in the next match, as Goeido (O) starts out against the Bulgarian Aoiyama (M1). Goeido goes on the attack, and Aoiyama has no answers for it, eventually getting shoved out of the ring and also into the front row.

- Hakuho (Y), fresh off of becoming a naturalized Japanese citizen, will look to make good on it by beating Hokutofuji (M1). Hokutofuji on the offensive early...Hakuho is shocked, and he can't recover! Hokutofuji knocks off Hakuho on day 1...AND HERE COME THE PILLOWS!!! Give that man a kinboshi bonus!

- Main Event time! Kakuryu (Y), winner of the summer tournament with a 14-1 mark, looks to repeat the feat here in the fall. To do that, it all starts with a bout against Endo (K). Wouldn't it be something if BOTH Yokozuna went down on day 1? Endo tries to make it happen, but Kakuryu just lets him be overzealous and Endo hits the clay. Kakuryu gets the victory.

There's no reason for me to give you a rundown after day 1. For that you can go back and read the commentary. We'll see you tomorrow for day 2 of the Aki basho. Hakkeyoi!

[Magus978]

Some breaking news through the night...

- Hakuho (Y) is withdrawing from the tournament. Abi wins by forfeit on day 2.

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2...-day-loss.html

EDIT: English source posted.

[CONN CHRIS]

Day 2. Baby Huey forgets that he is in the middle of a match again and Tochinoshin looks like a candidate to pull out within 24 to 48 hours.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SiT9o1INW4

[Magus978]

Here we go, Day 2 of the 2019 Aki basho. Let's get on with the fun.

- Yutakayama opens the show against Takagenji, who will need to do better than he did against Chiyomaru in order to save his Makuuchi status. This is better from Takagenji, who's able to stay in there for awhile against Yutakayama, but in the end it's a Yorikiri victory for Yutakayama.

- Tochiozan will also need better performances to save his Makuuchi status, and today he'll have to start doing better by beating Juryo contestant Daiamami, making a cameo appearance today. He's spent the last 3 tournaments in the Juryo ranks, going 11-4 in the summer. This is also better from Tochiozan, but just like Takagenji before him, he falls to a Yorikiri from Daiamami.

- Tsurugisho is next, the Juryo champion from the summer, taking on Ishiura. Tsurugisho charges out of the gate, but Ishiura counters it, grabs from behind, and Tsurugisho is in all kinds of trouble! Ishiura takes him out of the ring, and wins the bout.

- Azumaryu takes to the dohyo now to take on Toyonoshima. Very slow bout so far, both men standing their ground in the center. Toyonoshima tries to get Azumaryu out, but can't quite do it. Azumaryu is then able to pull Toyonoshima down for the victory. Azumaryu, who I criticized before the tournament, is 2-0. Shows what I know, right?

- Next bout is Shohozan vs Kagayaki. Kagayaki leads the lifetime series 7-5. Kagayaki initially tries to slap his way to victory, but Shohozan holds firm. Very nice back and forth here with both men on the brink for several seconds. In the end, Yorikiri victory for Kagayaki. Both fighters move to 1-1.

- Nishikigi faces Daishoho next. Nishikigi owns wins in the only two times they've faced off. Big thud as they crash into each other, with Daishoho not able to finish it quickly. This becomes a battle of who will flinch first, as they fight for position on each other's mawashi. After a prolonged struggle, Nishikigi gets Daishoho's mawashi and is able to lift him out.

- Pair of fighters who lost on day 1 up now, as Sadanoumi battles Onosho. Onosho almost makes quickwork of Sadanoumi, but good balance shown to stay in the bout, and turn the tide around, forcing Onosho out. Sadanoumi winner.

- The Enho fan club is in full voice again! Our little big man takes on Meisei today. Enho ducks the initial charge and gets his hands on the mawashi! Meisei re-takes control, but Enho's quickness turns the tide and he is just strong enough to take Meisei out of the ring! Enho does it again, and he's 2-0!

- Cue the huge rice throw! It's Terutsuyoshi time! The hero of the summer takes on Okinoumi. They battle in the middle for a bit, but Okinoumi uses his size and just overpowers Terutsuyoshi, literally shoving him to the ground. Victory for Okinoumi, and for Terutsuyoshi...back to the drawing board.

- If Kotoyuki is going to post back to back to back 11-win tournaments, he'll have to start winning fairly soon. It would then be a good idea to start winning today by beating Takarafuji. Kotoyuki apparently took my advice, as he went on the attack early and knocked Takarafuji off balance and out of bounds for the victory.

- Shimanoumi and Kotoshogiku take to the ring next. Kotoshogiku needed to be better today, but he wasn't. Shimanoumi got his opponent off balance on the edge of the ring, and was able to finish the job with relative ease.

- In the ring now are Kotoeko and Myogiryu...and in the blink of an eye it's over! Kotoeko putting up literally zero resistance against Myogiryu's slap attack. This one was a "blink and you'll miss it" match, and I blinked...and thus missed it.

- Tamawashi & Chiyotairyu are next. This is their 18th meeting...and I bet the first 17 weren't as quick as this one. Tamawashi used a few slaps, and it was over. Another "blink and you'll miss it" bout. Once again I blinked.

- Next up is Ryuden & Shodai. This one goes a little longer than the last two bouts combined. They battle for position in the middle. Shodai does a twirl on the edge and Ryuden goes out...and so does Shodai. Shodai apparently tripped over Ryuden's foot. Both took a pretty nasty spill. Ryuden is up almost immediately, Shodai a little slower to get back to his feet. Upon further review, Ryuden apparently dragged Shodai out with him. Once again it's take a sumo wrestler home with you night here at the fights.

- After the mayhem of that match, we move on to Tomokaze vs Endo. Endo will look to build on what was a decent effort agaisnt Kakuryu and put on a winning performance here. This is good from Endo, he's aggressive and has Tomokaze on the backfoot. Tomokaze tries to fight back, but Endo just wants it more. Endo is able to shove him out.

- Mitakeumi faces Daieisho now, and he'll need to do better today. Promising start from Mitakeumi as he tries to use an effective slap tactic. Daieisho is fighting back however, and tries to charge him out of the ring. However, his efforts are countered as Mitakeumi lets him go to the ground just before he steps out of bounds! Mitakeumi is the winner in a fun bout.

- Takakeisho needs 9 more wins to regain Ozeki rank after his opening day victory. Today's opponent is Aoiyama. Takakeisho is very aggressive here, looking to put Aoiyama away with a mix of slaps and shoves, and he does. Excellent sumo from Takakeisho, who looks in very good form after being absent in the summer.

- Ichinojo faces his second Ozeki in a row today, as standing in front of him is Goeido. I don't think Goeido is going to lay down and die like Tochinoshin did yesterday. Good effort from Ichinojo here, but Goeido was never really in danger, and exerted himself with a force out victory.

- Tochinoshin, who put up zero resistance yesterday, is going to have to do a lot better today against Asanoyama if he wants to have any thoughts about retaining his rank. That right leg is still heavily taped. A little more effort shown from Tochinoshin, but he still looks very bad. Victory for Asanoyama via Yorikiri. Tochinoshin has the look of a man who does not want to be there. Perhaps retirement is the best option if that's the case.

- Main Event time! You'll figure out why after this one, unless you know already. Kakuryu goes against Hokutofuji. Hokutofuji got a kinboshi bonus yesterday for knocking off Hakuho, so he's already in the money. Wouldn't it be something for him to knock off Kakuryu too? However, it's not meant to be as Kakuryu uses some good slaps to knock Hokutofuji off balance and down to the clay.

- This WAS supposed to be the main event of the evening, but instead we have a guy with a paper in the middle of the ring. As you know from last night, Hakuho has withdrawn from the tournament due to a broken finger. I don't think he sustained this in the bout with Hokutofuji, rather it was injured when he fought Shodai on Day 8 in the summer. Reportedly, Hakuho could not use his hand at all yesterday and just wanted to show up, fight, and hope for the best. Abi steps into the ring to collect his win, but no money. Didn't he do this last summer? Poor Abi...he comes to work and doesn't get paid. He really should sue for back wages.

Looking at the board after the 2nd day of competition, we see 11 fighters at 2-0, including Kakuryu, Goeido, Takakeisho, and Enho. What will day 3 bring us? Find out tomorrow. Hakkeyoi!

[CONN CHRIS]

Day three highlights: Good to see the mad Tochinoshin drawn out today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCX5OdTZmT8

[Magus978]

I have to go out this morning, so my commentary on the day's action will be up later today.