Well, there was certainly plenty of space, none of it occupied by an audience and with the combatants keeping their required distance – at least until the first bell rang. Then it was all systems go as usual. And very entertaining it was too.

The sport did not get the same publicity as the return of football and cricket to the small screen. It may be what the game calls a small hall show but in these hard to believe times it was professionally presented and promoted, underlining the fact that British boxing has talent. Especially young talent.

Hats off to Frank Warren, his team at Queensberry Promotions, the BT backstage and frontmen, Robert Smith and the Board of Control and all in boxing’s "bubble" who had isolated for most of the week. In all there were 101 coronavirus tests, all negative.

All stuck rigidly to the rules laid down jointly by the Government and the Boxing Board which made it all very different, if most watchable - at an additional cost of some £25,000 ($32,000/€27,000) to the promoter.

Even Steve Bunce abandoned his usual high volume effervescence to take those of us watching at home literally step by step from self-isolation in a nearby hotel to the custom-built ring via dressing room areas.

The cameras followed the boxers to the ring and the aftermath with the required disposal of all accoutrements such as gloves and hand wraps immediately into ringside bins, then still in their dressing gowns they hopped into waiting taxis to take them back to the hotel to shower and change.

It was the sight of men in full astronaut style white head to toe protection gear cleansing the ring, stools and ropes with strong disinfectant which caused pundit Haye to make the spaceship analogy. It was certainly unreal and lacking in atmosphere. But that was before punches started pounding into flesh.

Then it became very real indeed. However two things did really strike me as odd. First, why did the referees – who had to shower and change their clothes between the five permitted bouts have to wear masks, but not gloves? 

And why were the fighters not allowed to be interviewed together afterwards, even if "socially" distanced the stipulated metre apart when a few seconds earlier they were in even closer proximity during their many clinches in the ring?

But all in all it was a highly commendable effort and one surely welcomed by the sofa-bound fight fans after such a long absence. Like me, no doubt they were heartened by the talent on show in an entertaining bill which augurs well for the future of the sport post-pandemic.

Interestingly, no fighter took the knee, although the first boxer to be introduced in a ring since last March, was soon on both of his and was promptly stopped by big hitting prospect Mark Chamberlain after just 55 seconds.

I particularly like 21-year-old Hamzah Shiraz who dedicated his victory over Paul Keane to the aunt he lost to coronavirus, and one of David Haye's former heavyweight sparring partners David Adele, who has been training with both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Top of the bill was a defence by another potentially high-flying youngster, Brad Foster of his British and Commonwealth super bantamweight title, against James Beach Jnr was a cracker. 

Both fighters were cut in a rumbustious yet highly skilled encounter which Foster, 22, deservedly won to claim the much treasured ornate Lonsdale Belt for keeps, something achieved only 13 times in the last decade.

Foster typifies today’s articulate, intelligent young men-of-war and graciously said of his opponent afterwards: "I’d like to congratulate him on giving me such a good fight. He was a terrific opponent."

Asked whether the missed the roar of the crowd he replied: "Whether there is no person or 10,000 you have to concentrate on just one – your opponent."

Nice touch, and there were many during this edifying evening.

Unless boxing is to follow football and cricket and allow live audiences in the near future, there will be another 15 closed door shows this summer including a couple in rival promoter Eddie Hearn’s massive back garden in Brentwood, Essex.

This weekend it will be the turn of the first major star in boxing, the former Olympic silver medallist Joe Joyce to appear "on camera" so to speak.

He headlines Warren’s second of five BT bills this Saturday evening – almost against the veteran Hall of Fame promoters wishes.

Juggernaut Joe is scheduled to appear in October at the O2 Arena, hopefully when crowds are allowed to resume, against the similarly unbeaten British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Dynamite Daniel Dubois in what is likely to be the fight of the year.

The clash has been postponed twice because of the coronavirus crisis and is the most eagerly awaited all-British heavyweight battle since Lennox Lewis beat Frank Bruno — defending his world title — in Cardiff 27 years ago.

Joyce has been out of action for a year due to the pandemic, while Dubois will have been idle for nine months.

Warren reluctantly agreed to allow the two World Championship contenders to feature behind closed doors at BT’s Stratford studios.

Joyce tackles German Michael Wallisch, 34, on July 25, and Dubois faces German-based Russian Erik Pfeifer. Both are competent, but no world beaters.

Defeat for Dubois or Joyce — though most unlikely — would obviously wreck Warren's best-laid plans, hence his reluctance to use both men even though the risk may be slight.

For history shows that when heavyweights are concerned, just one lucky punch is all it takes to shatter dreams. The October 24 clash - it is the most eagerly awaited all-British heavyweight battle since Lennox Lewis beat Frank Bruno 27 years ago - has been postponed twice because of the coronavirus crisis.

Joyce has been out of action for a year due to the pandemic, while Dubois will have been idle for nine months.

"The last thing I wanted to do was put the Dubois-Joyce fight at risk — it’s huge and every fan can’t wait to see it," said Warren.

"But Dan and Joe have been away from the ring so long, I felt duty bound to allow them to get involved in something more meaningful than sparring.

"But I’ll sleep much easier when I know they have come through unharmed. We know the dangers where heavyweights are concerned. Remember Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas in Tokyo?"

So it will be with chewed nails that Warren will be watching Joyce enter boxing’s space-age with his traditional back-flip as he enters the ring on Saturday.

Beat him up, Joey.