Yokozuna Hakuho outfoxed ozeki Harumafuji Friday to prevail in a battle of undefeated wrestlers, grabbing the sole lead with two days remaining at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament.
Although Hakuho took the accolades with a 13-0 record, it was fellow yokozuna Asashoryu who raised the roof with a mauling of ozeki Kotooshu in the day's penultimate bout to stay in a share of second with Harumafuji at 12-1.
After a standstill at the ring's center, Harumafuji attempted twice to send his opponent down with an arm pulling technique but the grand champion refused to fall. Hakuho then deployed a well-timed leg sweep for the win at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Asashoryu grappled with Kotooshu and tried lifting the larger Bulgarian off his feet once before executing a perfectly timed underarm throw that sent his opponent flying across ring like a comic strip character. Kotooshu slipped to 8-5.