diff --git a/test/units/plugins/connection/test_ssh.py b/test/units/plugins/connection/test_ssh.py
index 92dbf86d6a7..2b0703fa7b8 100644
--- a/test/units/plugins/connection/test_ssh.py
+++ b/test/units/plugins/connection/test_ssh.py
@@ -516,8 +516,12 @@ class TestSSHConnectionRun(object):
 
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures('mock_run_env')
 class TestSSHConnectionRetries(object):
-    @pytest.mark.skip('test does not pass with pytest --boxed')
-    def test_retry_then_success(self):
+    def test_retry_then_success(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'HOST_KEY_CHECKING', False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'ANSIBLE_SSH_RETRIES', 3)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr('time.sleep', lambda x: None)
+
         self.mock_popen_res.stdout.read.side_effect = [b"", b"my_stdout\n", b"second_line"]
         self.mock_popen_res.stderr.read.side_effect = [b"", b"my_stderr"]
         type(self.mock_popen_res).returncode = PropertyMock(side_effect=[255] * 3 + [0] * 4)
@@ -541,9 +545,11 @@ class TestSSHConnectionRetries(object):
         assert b_stdout == b'my_stdout\nsecond_line'
         assert b_stderr == b'my_stderr'
 
-    @patch('time.sleep')
-    def test_multiple_failures(self, mock_sleep):
-        C.ANSIBLE_SSH_RETRIES = 9
+    def test_multiple_failures(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'HOST_KEY_CHECKING', False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'ANSIBLE_SSH_RETRIES', 9)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr('time.sleep', lambda x: None)
 
         self.mock_popen_res.stdout.read.side_effect = [b""] * 11
         self.mock_popen_res.stderr.read.side_effect = [b""] * 11
@@ -562,9 +568,11 @@ class TestSSHConnectionRetries(object):
         pytest.raises(AnsibleConnectionFailure, self.conn.exec_command, 'ssh', 'some data')
         assert self.mock_popen.call_count == 10
 
-    @patch('time.sleep')
-    def test_abitrary_exceptions(self, mock_sleep):
-        C.ANSIBLE_SSH_RETRIES = 9
+    def test_abitrary_exceptions(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'HOST_KEY_CHECKING', False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'ANSIBLE_SSH_RETRIES', 9)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr('time.sleep', lambda x: None)
 
         self.conn._build_command = MagicMock()
         self.conn._build_command.return_value = 'ssh'
@@ -573,11 +581,12 @@ class TestSSHConnectionRetries(object):
         pytest.raises(Exception, self.conn.exec_command, 'ssh', 'some data')
         assert self.mock_popen.call_count == 10
 
-    @patch('time.sleep')
-    @patch('ansible.plugins.connection.ssh.os')
-    @pytest.mark.skip('test does not pass with pytest --boxed')
-    def test_put_file_retries(self, os_mock, time_mock):
-        os_mock.path.exists.return_value = True
+    def test_put_file_retries(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'HOST_KEY_CHECKING', False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'ANSIBLE_SSH_RETRIES', 3)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr('time.sleep', lambda x: None)
+        monkeypatch.setattr('ansible.plugins.connection.ssh.os.path.exists', lambda x: True)
 
         self.mock_popen_res.stdout.read.side_effect = [b"", b"my_stdout\n", b"second_line"]
         self.mock_popen_res.stderr.read.side_effect = [b"", b"my_stderr"]
@@ -595,7 +604,7 @@ class TestSSHConnectionRetries(object):
         self.mock_selector.get_map.side_effect = lambda: True
 
         self.conn._build_command = MagicMock()
-        self.conn._build_command.return_value = 'ssh'
+        self.conn._build_command.return_value = 'sftp'
 
         return_code, b_stdout, b_stderr = self.conn.put_file('/path/to/in/file', '/path/to/dest/file')
         assert return_code == 0
@@ -603,11 +612,12 @@ class TestSSHConnectionRetries(object):
         assert b_stderr == b"my_stderr"
         assert self.mock_popen.call_count == 2
 
-    @patch('time.sleep')
-    @patch('ansible.plugins.connection.ssh.os')
-    @pytest.mark.skip('test does not pass with pytest --boxed')
-    def test_fetch_file_retries(self, os_mock, time_mock):
-        os_mock.path.exists.return_value = True
+    def test_fetch_file_retries(self, monkeypatch):
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'HOST_KEY_CHECKING', False)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(C, 'ANSIBLE_SSH_RETRIES', 3)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr('time.sleep', lambda x: None)
+        monkeypatch.setattr('ansible.plugins.connection.ssh.os.path.exists', lambda x: True)
 
         self.mock_popen_res.stdout.read.side_effect = [b"", b"my_stdout\n", b"second_line"]
         self.mock_popen_res.stderr.read.side_effect = [b"", b"my_stderr"]
@@ -625,7 +635,7 @@ class TestSSHConnectionRetries(object):
         self.mock_selector.get_map.side_effect = lambda: True
 
         self.conn._build_command = MagicMock()
-        self.conn._build_command.return_value = 'ssh'
+        self.conn._build_command.return_value = 'sftp'
 
         return_code, b_stdout, b_stderr = self.conn.fetch_file('/path/to/in/file', '/path/to/dest/file')
         assert return_code == 0