Josh Kelly barely broke a sweat at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, stopping a faded Flavius Biea in the first round and then wasting no time shouting across the domestic scene — “If it’s a big domestic fight, Benn,” Kelly said bluntly.
The win was easy. Too easy. Biea, 35, offered about as much resistance as a wet napkin. A sharp feint, then a clean left hook sent the Romanian tumbling. He beat the count like someone trying to remember where the stairs were. The referee didn’t like what he saw and waved it off.
Kelly moves to 17-1-1 with just his ninth stoppage. He’s ranked top 4 across most sanctioning bodies, and now he’s screaming for relevance — and Conor Benn. Problem is, Benn’s not exactly in a rush to deal with more backlash after being battered by Chris Eubank Jr. in April.
Kelly, meanwhile, is trying to scrub off the stench from his 2021 meltdown against David Avanesyan. He’s stitched together seven wins since, but none of them screamed “world level.” This wasn’t any different.
Is Conor Benn the Target — or Just the Excuse?
So let’s address the callout. Is this real ambition or just theatre?
Benn fights at welter. Kelly fights at 154. Benn just got dropped and outworked at middleweight. So what now? Meet at a made-up 150? This reeks of British boxing politics: call out the name, grab the headlines, and hope no one asks for follow-through.
“If it’s not Benn, then a big world-title fight,” Kelly said, practically advertising his availability. Ranked as high as No. 2 in some alphabet organizations, he’s clearly chasing his last prime years with a bit of desperation masked as confidence: “Let me run, let me run,” he said.
Let’s see who opens the door.
Undercard: More Wins, Few Statements
Cyrus Pattinson got back in the win column after busting up Joe Garside. After a clash of heads caused a cut, Pattinson targeted it and forced a fifth-round stoppage with a body shot that made Garside turn his back. That’s usually a sign someone’s had enough.
Lee Rogers went six clean rounds with Charles Tondo and won every one, while Codie Smith did the same to Mario Valenzuela Portillo. Both looked sharp but untested.
Tom Welland kept his 0 intact by beating Reuquen Arce, despite some dirty punches after the bell from the Argentine, who seemed more confused than dangerous.
Middleweight Niall Brown looked sharp, beating Matt McCallum in a competitive decision. Brown moves to 15-0 and might finally deserve a step up.
Dan Toward blasted Connor Goulding with a right hook in the fifth, and Matty Harris coasted through six rounds against Dan Garber after scoring knockdowns in rounds four and five.
Full Fight Card Results
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Josh Kelly def. Flavius Biea – TKO1
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Cyrus Pattinson def. Joe Garside – TKO5
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J’Hon Ingram def. Tatenda Mangombe – TKO2
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Lee Rogers def. Charles Tondo – PTS 60-54
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Codie Smith def. Mario Valenzuela Portillo – PTS 60-54
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Tom Welland def. Reuquen Arce – PTS 59-55
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Niall Brown def. Matt McCallum – PTS 78-75
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Dan Toward def. Connor Goulding – TKO5
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Matty Harris def. Dan Garber – PTS 60-52