My matchup-of-the-day for Day 6 is Kisenosato vs Ikioi.
sumo
Hatsubasho 2015: Day 5
Ikioi (0-5) came close to pulling off the upset of his career against Hakuho. In a characteristically spirited fight he very nearly conquered the yokozuna, slapping the champ down by the shoulder. But, the gyoji was right calling Hakuho as victor. On review, the heel of Ikioi’s foot had touched the dirt on the wrong side of the straw bale while Hakuho was still in the air [blurry picture above]. He’s clearly much better than his winless record would attest…but he’ll get there.
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Hatsubasho 2015: Day 5 Preview
A short preview of some of tomorrow’s high-level matchups:
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Hatsubasho 2015: Day 4
I really think Ichinojo puts a lot of planning into each bout. He’s a real tactician. He was very slow at the tachiai…waiting for Kotoshogiku to make the first move. With the ozeki’s knee issues, it was apparent that he was experiencing discomfort holding a crouched stance for more than a few seconds before the tachiai. After just a few seconds, he had to adjust into more of a forward lean and finally had to go ahead into a three-point stance and initiate the charge rather than wait on Ichinojo. As he bulled across the dohyo, Ichinojo just grabbed him by the back and pushed him down. Some do not like his tactics but I enjoy the chess he plays. Kisenosato used to slow roll his tachiai, getting many opponents to false start, until Ichinojo abused him.
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