The prelude to the trade negotiations between Britain and the EU has felt like the weigh-in for a heavyweight title fight.

As they prepared for Brexit Two, the rematch, the two boxers shouted threats at each other. Boris Johnson, the Blond Bomber — fresh from a knockout victory in the UK election — swore that he would come out swinging. Britain, he said, was ready to break off talks, rather than take a step backwards and compromise. Boris’s corner seemed confident that Michel Barnier — the Bruiser from Brussels (still undefeated, after two years of brutal negotiations) — was now ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile Mr Barnier’s trainer, Jean-Yves Le Drian (also known as the French foreign minister) warns that Britain and the EU will “rip each other apart”. On Monday, March 2, the bell rang for the start of the discussions, and the two boxers headed out into the ring.