Hoshoryu Yusho July 2023, 12-3, Ozeki Promotion, Fighting Spirit Prize, All Bouts

HOSHORYUUU!!! The Golden Boy with the golden arm triumphantly seals his first Yusho, with promotion to Ozeki along with it. In his quintessential style of assorted moves and tricks, he stayed close behind the leaders, and came out as a yusho contender in the last few days, solidifying a playoff with fan favorite he had no trouble subduing this time around. Along the way he threw down ascendant Asanoyama, deftly survived rival Ozeki contender Wakamotoharu’s dirty henka, and to top it all off took down the wunderkind Hakuoho on the final day. A well deserved, exciting championship indeed. When Hoshoryu was toiling his way up the Maegashira, I couldn’t stand him. The ego and often downright disrespect he showed his opponents- Ozeki included- rubbed me exactly the wrong way, and I actively rooted against him. But these days, I could not feel more the opposite. At Sekiwake, his consistent winning records and more notably his utterly amazing sumo feels to have entirely j