September's Aki Basho approaches and as was the case prior to Nagoya in July, with it comes the talk of how Mongolian ozeki Hakuho will fare; whether or not he'll be performing the yokozuna dohyo-iri alongside yokozuna Asashoryu at the next tournament.
Baruto getting up close and personal with an opponent prior to the Aki
Basho
KYODO PHOTORealistically not many would bet against him (again!) were flutters on the rikishi legal in Japan and when push comes to shove, the ozeki still only has one obstacle to overcome to reach the top of the banzuke -- himself.