ILLINIWrestlingBlog

This is ridiculous. You want to find the NCAA tournament? It's not at the top of the list, it is below "Maine Maulers Takedown Tournament" and "Jane and Stephano's Rocky Top Open (ages 5-12)" and "Taco John's Freestyle Tournament and Hot Dog Eating Contest" and seventy more. I saw something a couple years ago that looked like a better way. ILLINOIS was in a tournament two years ago, and I can't recall whether it was the MSU Open or the ILLINOIS Matmen Open (Willie and Izzy put this together to replace Midlands), but one of those tournaments used a different kind of software. I've only seen it that one time, and though it was extremely rudimentary, it was also extremely user friendly with a big bout board and quick links to matches. And don't forget this about Trackwrestling:

SPOILERS! Golden Boy Yusho! Hoshoryu, also known as the Golden Boy, won the tournament. He beat the young upstart Hakuoho, and then he beat Hokutofuji in a playoff. Very excite! I was worried for Hoshoryu early in the playoff because Hokutofuji did some excellent hand-fighting to keep Golden Boy off his belt (mawashi). This will mean that Hoshoryu will be promoted to Ozeki, the second-highest rank in Sumo. His uncle was a Yokozuna, the highest rank, and now Nephew is on his way. The best match of the day involved the smallest wrestler versus the tallest. Midorifuji (about 5-9) tossed Hokuseiho (about 6-8) like he was a rag doll. This would've gotten oohs and ahhs from the Greco crowd in Fargo. The next basho (tournament) is not for two months. Hakkeyoi!

I've been gorging on Fargo but still find 30 minutes each day to watch the July Sumo tournament. It has gotten weird and exciting. We are now done with Day 14 of the 15-day tournament. There are three leaders at the top, and it couldn't be weirder or more exciting. There are no wrestlers in the top two ranks (Yokozuna and Ozeki) in this tournament. They are out with injuries. For that reason, I thought this would be a boring go-round. Not so! Golden Boy Hoshoryu is among the top three leaders, and he will face the newest child prodigy Hakuoho tomorrow. If Hokutofuji also wins, we will have a playoff! I root for Golden Boy, but how strange would it be to have child prodigy Hakuoho win a tournament in his first tournament? Also, I like "The Accountant" Hokutofuji, so any winner will be pretty awesom. So excite!

I like this channel on youtube, Willie! NattoSumo condenses the matches so that a day's tournament lasts about 30 minutes in the video. It is a great way to get started if you, like me, don't understand Japanese. There is some ritual, but mostly grappling. He even gives updated information on the wrestlers' records, how they've fared against each other, how long they've been in the upper division, and so on. Here is a video that will probably be removed soon:

The tournament is heating up. Now it is time for the back stretch. Your current leaders at 8-1 are Golden Boy Hoshoryu, "The Accountant" Hokutofuji and Nishikigi. I like all three, but I think the latter two are pretenders at this time. The real challenge for Golden Boy, I believe, will come from Daieisho and Wakamotoharu, who are at 7-2. Those two and Golden Boy have to get a lot of wins this tournament to earn a promotion. Thus, they are incentivized more than usual. Plus, they are the best Sumo in the top groups. We had another instance of Japanese Zen Garden art in today's basho. As you recall, nothing but the soles of your feet can touch down before your opponent touches the ground. Additionally, you cannot touch anything outside of the ring (except for Air, I guess). Below we have elder statesman Tamawashi versus newcomer Kinbozan. The ref gave the win to Tamawashi, but as you can see in the images, Tamawashi barely stepped outside the ring with his heel before Kinbozan fell. They used replay and got it right. The win went to Kinbozan. Hakkeyoi!

He sure is. Army WCAP and ILLINI RTC. These folks deserve all the funding they can get. Plus, he can stop into Champaign and have goes with Edmond Ruth and both of the Brawlnagels. Zane has said he very much appreciates sponsorship from TMWC and the ILLINI RTC. If Titan Mercury helped to keep him in the game until he could reach his potential, then I appreciate them as well. Cheers!

Kamal Bey looked fantastic in this tournament. So excite! He is dynamic and quick, and he's gotten smart and savvy as well. I don't have a deep base of knowledge about Greco, but if there's anybody better at slipping a gut wrench or a lift, and then turning it into his own points, I'd like to meet that man. Oh, I almost forgot power. The winning takedown he had against Iran looked like a truck hit him. That Iranian has to have whiplash. We also got treated to a nice Bey Bomb. Joe Rau beat an Iranian. He has a powerful gut wrench, and teched him with it. If he gets his gas tank in order, he could be very dangerous. Thing is, he's also a comedian doing Improv Comedy in Chicago. He's got a day job ... er night job in other words. Finally, Zac Braunagel had a tough, tough draw. He faced a World Champion/Olympic medalist from Azerbaijan. Zac was big time in it until the end, though, losing 1-2. Moreover, he tired the guy out so he couldn't advance and pull Zac back in. The Metcalf story. In any event, I appreciated your real time coverage of all the things that I missed. Cheers!

I'm sorry, but I forgot. I wouldn't have known it was about to happen except I left the video running, and I heard the announcement of his match. Cheers!

For the ILLINI RTC, Kamal Bey is into the Semis. Had a win over the Iranian Junior World Champ from a couple years back, then beat a Czech, and most recently, the Georgian. The Bey Bomb came against the Czech. Zac Braunagel had a first-round match against an Olympic medalist and World Champ from Azerbaijan. He lost 1-2, but did an incredible job. He belongs there. IRTC-adjacent Joe Rau lost in the quarters, but won today as well. ... And before I could finish typing this up, Kamal Bey beats the Hungarian in the semis and will be a FINALIST! Dang, they're wrestling'em faster than I can watch'em!

In this tournament, both of the highest-ranked wrestlers are out. I like them both, so it has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. The good news is that 13 wrestlers are still within reach of a tournament win, and Golden Boy Hoshoryu is one of them. Even the two guys I call "The Accountants" are still in the race: Hokutofuji and Takarafuji. I don't think they have much of a chance to win, but I like them very much and would let them do my taxes. It is funny about NattoSumo and the Japanese government TV station NHK: I posted the video at the top of this thread one morning, and that same afternoon, the video is banned by the NHK! But like Jason or Freddy, he keeps coming back. At this point in my Sumo fandom, I watch selected matches from the lower levels. Cheers! Yes! Konichiwa and arigato! Agree that they are hurting for THE SUPERSTAR because the top guys are very injury-plagued. Your history lesson was appreciated. Since becoming a Sumo fan, I have watched videos about these wrestlers, although I did catch the very tail end of the Hakuho era. Wow! He was the Babe Ruth and the Michael Jordan rolled up in one. Cheers!

Overall, I don't know, but at 57kg, Iran and Georgia and Kazakhstan sent two wrestlers, and there was the Bronze at last year's World Championships, and none of those seven medaled. The World Champ jumped to 61kg and won Gold, while last year's Silver lost to Zane at Final X. Lots of Euro, Asian and U23 medalists and champs. Plug in a great Russian wrestler in the field and some suspect wrestlers from Morocco and Peru like you'd have at a World Championship--instead of the extra Irani, Georgian and Kazak wrestlers--and it may be about even.

I swear he had Smanbekov's ankle or foot four or five times between slide-bys and sweep singles. The foreign fella did win the last ranking tournament, and Zane'll hang on next time. Time to get some bronze ranking points.

It's a we problem. By the way, Zane teched a pretty tough Georgian in the first period, 10-0. Flawless victory.

Now I've seen it all. Musukaev with a come-from-behind win over China. Down 8-4 in the second period. He relishes the :30 break like a guy walking into a bordello with somebody else's platinum Visa card. There was an injury timeout and the soccer spray can for the boo boo. America back on the board with a Parris win over Italy.

Not an optimal start for the greatest country in the history of history. Zahid loses to the Iranian. Hale lost. Didn't catch the Finesilver result. Amine won, but he was wrestling for "SMR." Is that short for SMERSH? You may recall that SMERSH kidnapped Vesper Lynd of Section S, and after Bond got into a chase after the kidnappers, he crashed and SMERSH tortured good old 007 with a carpet beater. Amine won with a late takedown of Poland. FloWrestling, if you're out there, Mat A keeps buffering every 15 seconds. Not optimal. For the millions of Zaniacs out there, it will be a little bit before Zane takes the mat.

The WATCH PARTY starts in about an hour. Taking Mat A at approximately 4:30 am (Eastern) and 3:30 am (Central) is America's Zane Richards. He will be wrestling a tough Georgian. This fellow from Georgia looks like Liam Cronin's stronger and bigger Eastern Bloc uncle. I did a Moneyball look at Bujiashvili prior to the World Cup, but Zane didn't wrestle this guy, Suriano did. Anyway, here's that scouting report: In the first round of the ranking series tournament, Zane Richards will wrestle Beka Bujiashvili of Georgia. Certainly not the easiest possible draw, but also a guy the IRTC athlete can handle. We did a Moneyball look at this fellow before because he was a potential opponent for Zane at the World Cup. They did not wrestle. Instead, Suriano handled him 6-3. Here is video of a match between him and Suriano in a ranking series event, which Suriano won 2-1. (Requires FloWrestling sub). He looks like a bearded Liam Cronin here. THE GEORGIAN: BEKA BUJIASHVILI This fellow must see a lot of his fellow countryman and former gold and silver World Championship medalist Beka Lomtadze, who won his medals at 61kg and most recently competed at 65kg. Beka Bujiashvili has been less successful. He is still a very good and dangerous wrestler. In terms of height and weight, he looks like a Caucasus region brother of Zane Richards. He is well-muscled, though not as well-defined as Zane, not particularly tall and has quite a head of hair. He's been around forever, having first wrestled internationally in 2009. He won a bronze medal in 2013 in the Junior World Championships. Since then, he's won a weight class at the Henri Deglane tournament. The Georgian finished 12th in the 2022 World Championships beating an over-matched Spaniard, but then losing to Hasagawa of Japan. He had a fifth-place finish at Matteo Pellicone, but that entailed one win and two losses, though he seemed injured in at least two of his matches (lower back). He did finish third in this year's Russia-less European Championships, which entailed two wins and one loss. Finally, he finished second at Yasar Dogu with a four-and-one record. SPECIAL: Bujiashvili has used a head in leglace, which has been successful. At other times, even when he falls into them after a successful double, he just doesn't seem to know where to begin. He will lead with his right leg even when shaking hands. He will usually use his right leg to gain ground as well. On occasion, he will wrestle from one knee. His arm throw is fast and dangerous. One of the best I've ever seen. He'll roll into it without tying up first. Beka will take a two-on-one and sit through for a very interesting takedown attempt, kicking his opponent over him. He'll also go for a high crotch from the two-on-one. He will often shoot on the whistle. Be ready to defend his incredible arm throw and two-on-one, and you should have success against him. Here are his Moneyball stats:

If Zane Richards beats China's Wanhao Zou in Budapest—and I have Zane favored to beat him—he will have beaten all five of the top five ranked 57kg wrestlers the last time he faced each. Now, I'm not buying Darian Cruz as the fifth-best 57kg wrestler in the world, but UWW is buying it. On the other hand, UWW has Zane ranked 37th. I'm not buying that either. Just thought it was an interesting bit of trivia.

It wasn't bad enough having to go to Northwestern, so ...

Sure, it looks like two giant angry babies titty-bumping in a sandbox, but it's actually pretty awesome. I ask the title question because I'm hooked on the sport, and I wonder if anybody else watches. Earlier today, the first matches in the July tournament took place. A fellow by the name of NattoSumo posts all of the first division matches on YouTube. He keeps getting banned by the Japanese government's TV station, but he keeps coming back. He is now NattoSumo7. This was today's card: There was major controversy in a match, as it appears that the judges gave a win to a wrestler who didn't deserve to win. You see, nothing but the soles of your feet can touch the ground before your opponent touches. In this case, Golden Boy Hoshoryu seems to have grazed his fingers along the sand before his opponent fell to the ground. Exhibit "A" below. It was not seen by the judges, or it was ignored, even though they have a replay system for close calls like this. Hoshoryu is my favorite wrestler so I kinda dug the no call. There were other aspects of today's bouts that were interesting, but I won't bore anybody with them if there is no interest. In any event, here is Exhibit "A," which is particularly damning if you embiggen the image to see the sand falling from the hand and the line drawn in the sand:

How was Outstanding Wrestler decided? Bouzakis wrestled well, for sure, but he put himself in a hole in two matches. There was a guy who won all his matches 11-0 or 10-0 with first-period tech falls and, as you can see, gave up no points in any of his matches. This short video is from his final against a strong fellow who has already spent a year in the University of Guelph's wrestling room:

If this is true—and Mark always seems to have good information—the Tony Madrigal signing not only makes sense finally but also looks like the smart play. Not too long ago, Lucas Byrd was helping to train the ILLINOIS National Duals teams with no apparent injury. Then, he had a pretty big cast or wrap around his wrist and hand. But I still have questions, as always. Byrd was listed as going to the U23 US Open and he had to be the favorite to make the U23 World Team in Greco. He was an age-level World Teamer in Greco. Does that mean he can take an Olympic redshirt? If that is not an automatic qualification, does he use the tail end of an injury redshirt season to prepare for the Olympics? That has to be one of his dreams, right? As for the rest of the tweet, I used to be the keep-the-freshmen-in-redshirt guy, but the freshmen are so good nowadays that I've questioned this policy. Kannon Webster will be wrestling in the Pan Ams this week, Braeden Scoles and Chris Moore are studs. They could certainly fit in. But will they?

Yes. That's him! Thanks.

And you made my day. Cheers!

Beautiful story! Ref whistles, end-of-period horns and even cheering crowds are lost. Coaches can't coach their wrestlers while on the mat. You can't hear your opponent breathing hard. You gotta be tough to even try it! Wasn't there a deaf wrestler on that old UFC show The Ultimate Fighter? He was a bad *** as well. On another note, I forgot to link to the original story on The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond. It has more pictures, links to other cool stories, and that Laura Bridgman narrative from Charles Dickens. It is right here.

The article at The ILLINI Wrestling Blog and Forum and Beyond has links to other inspirational stories about blind wrestlers, including the trailer for A Shot in the Dark. Also, I have included the true story of Laura Bridgman, a young girl who became the first deaf, blind and mute human in history to break free from her dark and soundless cage to learn braille and hand signs and join the world of ideas and words. It is the best thing I have ever read, and it was shared by none other than Charles Dickens. This all happened while Dickens visited America, Hell Ya! Finally, while I was researching the Stephon Breedlove story, I came across this powerful image of Breedlove as a young boy learning to read braille: