We’ve reached Day 8 of the Fall Tournament and:
- Goeido has sole possession of first place.
- Takayasu may be starting an ozeki run with his defeat of Kakuryu.
- Okinoumi has beaten two yokozuna and three ozeki.
- Endo and Okinoumi are tied for second with Harumafuji.
- Ura is on a five-bout losing streak (3 hatakikomi).
I would not have believed any of these storylines coming into this tournament. It’s been a great one with some great clashes. Obviously, Goeido’s bout with Yoshikaze tomorrow is circled. Mitakeumi should be a good match against Okinoumi, who will want to stay with the leaders. Endo/Ikioi should be a good one with both looking strong, though Ikioi’s nagging injuries may hamper him a bit.
I am worried about Ura, you nailed it on your post on his weakness. But robbing him of his one trick will make him a better rikishi. I also think he may have put on more weight than he can work with for now. I am in a rush to see him in Makuuchi (mostly so that he shows up on those highlight reels I get via NHK World), but he has the seeds of greatness, and sometimes it takes a bit for those to become firmly rooted
I really like Okinoumi’s odds on yusho. With Goeido soon to face the bulk of the San’yaku battle fleet, he may not get to hold his undefeated record too much longer.
I like to imagine that Hakuho, recovering somewhere with that giant cat of his, is loving every minute of this thing. Yeah, at some point I will see if I can dig up photo’s of Hakuho’s cat…. The thing is a monster.