Yokozuna Hakuho beat komusubi Abi at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday, positioning himself just one win away from extending his record for career top-division championships to 43.
Hakuho claimed his 12th victory at Fukuoka Kokusai Center to retain a two-win buffer over his closest pursuers, new komusubi Asanoyama and No. 10 maegashira Shodai.
Asanoyama and Shodai each prevented the yokozuna from clinching on Day 13 of the 15-day meet with wins over No. 4 Kotoyuki and No. 6 Enho, respectively.