Newly-crowned champion Asashoryu on Saturday squashed fellow ozeki Tochiazuma and boosted his chances of promotion to yokozuna with a 13th win on the penultimate day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.
The fiery ozeki from Ulan Bator, who became the first Mongolian ever to win the Emperor's Cup when he secured the title on Friday, was given a rough ride by Tochiazuma but prevailed with a clever pull-down to move to 13-1 at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center.
Tochiazuma (8-6), who bounced back from four early defeats to stave off relegation from his ozeki rank, came out strongly at the face-off as he worked Asashoryu to the edge of the ring with a combination of fierce slaps and thrusts.
But Asashoryu weathered the early storm and when Tochiazuma dived in low, the Mongolian spotted an opening and sent his opponent to the floor with a well-executed pulling arm throw for the win.