Lone ozeki Takakeisho defeated rank-and-file opponent Kotoshoho in a winner-take-all battle Sunday to be crowned champion of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
Wrestling as the highest-ranked competitor while yokozuna Terunofuji remains sidelined after surgery, Takakeisho captured his third career Emperor's Cup with a 12-3 record by toppling unlikely contender Kotoshoho, fighting as a 13th-ranked maegashira.
With the two alumni of renowned sumo factory Saitama Sakae High School deadlocked for the lead after the penultimate day, organizers scheduled them to face off for the trophy in the final bout of the 15-day meet at Ryogoku Kokugikan.