Yokozuna Kakuryu rebounded from the previous day's defeat with a demolition of Tochinoshin while Hakuho made road kill of would-be challenger Takarafuji to move one step closer to taking sole ownership of the all-time record at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday.
Harumafuji, sumo's third top-ranked wrestler, who steamrolled Ikioi in the day's finale, features along with Hakuho in a group of five wrestlers with the early lead at 3-0 at 15-day competition.
In front of a packed, weekday auditorium at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan — the first time in 18 years the New Year Basho sold out on the third day — two ozeki fell like dominoes while Goeido, the latest Japanese-born rikishi to reach the second-highest rank, bounced back from a first loss on Monday.