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Tokyo. Former firebrand sumo grand champion Asashoryu on Thursday denied accusations he broke a man’s nose in a drunken fight.

The Mongolian, whose real name is Dolgorsurengiin Dagvadorj, also claimed his decision to quit sumo amid the scandal was partly the result of forces inside Japan’s ancient sport that wanted him gone.

“I didn’t commit an act of violence,” the 29-year-old told a news conference in Ulan Bator. “But I don’t regret my decision to retire from sumo.”

The controversial yokozuna quit last month as the Japan Sumo Association launched a probe into allegations of a drunken late-night scuffle outside a Tokyo nightclub.

Asashoryu did little to deny the claims of conspiracy theorists, who said he was pushed out before he could break the record for the number of Emperor’s Cup victories.

“I don’t want to bad-mouth the JSA, but I wasn’t happy with some of the things they said to me,” said the 25-time Emperor’s Cup winner, who refused to take questions from Japanese reporters. “It is an undeniable fact that there were people trying to push me out of sumo. If I had gone on, I would have won more than 30 titles.”

Asashoryu finished his career with 25 major wins — third on the all-time list behind Taiho, who won a record 32 tournaments between 1960 and 1971, and Chiyonofuji’s 31.

His last title came at the New Year tournament in January, which turned out to be his last following reports of his alleged punch-up during the event.

After Asashoryu’s shock retirement, he was quickly linked to a possible switch to Japan’s K-1 kickboxing, which he has yet to confirm or deny.




Reuters