Estonian ozeki Baruto zeroed in on his first championship title with a crafty win over Kisenosato on Thursday, preserving his unbeaten record with three days left at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Baruto (12-0) deployed a frowned-upon "henka" technique and dodged Kisenosato at the charge, quickly pulling him down to move two wins ahead of yokozuna Hakuho, who was mugged by fellow Mongolian Harumafuji at the 15-day Tokyo meet and slipped to 10-2.
Former nightclub bouncer Baruto improved to 18-3 against Kisenosato, but his latest victory triggered murmurs of disapproval among spectators at Ryogoku Kokugikan, with some booing and jeering his slippery tactics.