There are not many sports that can keep an audience enraptured through 45 minutes of ceremony before the first point is even contested.
And yet, the intricate traditions unfolding in a small clay ring - virtually unchanged in hundreds of years - managed to do just that.
Welcome, then, to the Grand Sumo Tournament - a five-day event at the Royal Albert Hall featuring 40 of the very best sumo wrestlers showcasing a sport which can date its first mention back to 23BC.
London's Victorian concert venue has been utterly transformed, complete with six-tonne Japanese temple roof suspended above the ring.
It is here the wrestlers, known as rikishi, will perform their leg stomps to drive away evil spirits, and where they will clap to get the attention of the gods.
And above all this ancient ceremony, a giant, revolving LED screen which wouldn't look out of place at an American basketball game, offering the audience all the stats and replays they could want.
Sumo may be ancient, and may have strict rules governing every aspect of a rikishi's conduct, but it still exists in a modern world.
And that modern world is helping spread sumo far beyond Japan's borders.
It was a random video which first caught Sian Spencer's attention a couple of years ago. This was quickly followed by the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for a couple of the sumo stables, where rikishi live and train, waking up early to practise, followed by a high protein stew called a chankonabe, and then an afternoon nap - all in the service of bulking up.
The London tournament was simply a once-in-a-lifetime, not-to-be-missed, opportunity to see it all in real life, the 35-year-old says.
Julia and her partner Cezar, who live in Edinburgh, discovered sumo through a more traditional route: a trip to Japan six years ago.
We saw it as a very touristy activity, but we actually ended up loving the sport, says Julia, 34.
From there on, we tried to find communities, information, just to learn more and more about it, Cezar, 36, adds.
For many fans, this was the first time witnessing the speed and power of the rikishi.
Seeing all this ritual and ceremony that goes with sumo is quite special, fan Sian says. Now, seeing it in person, you feel like you are more part of it.
Despite the challenges facing the sport, from recruitment woes to a troubled past marred by scandals, the Grand Sumo Tournament in London has showcased the enduring legacy and evolving global fanbase of sumo wrestling, blending tradition with modern-day fandom.
