Sumo great Akebono to join K-1 as fighter
Former yokozuna and sumo stablemaster Akebono has left the Japan Sumo Association to join K-1 as a fighter, it was learned Thursday.
He tendered his resignation as stablemaster and sumo association member to its president, former Yokozuna Kitanoumi, Wednesday.
His boss, stablemaster Azumazeki, expressed disappointment over Akebono's decision. "He told me yesterday evening that he wanted to quit. I then found all his belongings had disappeared from his room. I didn't feel like stopping him because it was the fourth time (he had told me he wanted to quit). He said he has something big he wants to achieve. Anyway, I'm disappointed."
A native of Hawaii, Akebono, 34, whose real name is Taro Akebono, made his debut as a sumo wrestler in the spring of 1988. Following the New Year tournament in 1993, he became the first foreign national to be promoted to yokozuna, the highest rank as a sumo wrestler. He obtained Japanese nationality in April 1996.
Akebono won 11 tournaments before retiring and becoming a stablemaster in January 2001. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Nov. 6, 2003)
