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Reuters

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Reuters

It’s been almost a month since Conor Benn advised Kell Brook to ‘stay retired.’ The Greenwich, London-born boxer hasn’t seen the inside of a ring since April last year. Now a new row appears on the horizon. Seemingly Benn warned Josh Taylor to stay away or suffer another inglorious loss at his hands. The former relinquished the two Light Welterweight belts he held to Teofimo Lopez on June 10. He launched his riposte, adding fuel to the fire. 

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At the ringside of Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron, an altercation occurred between Benn and Kell Brook—the latter retired last year after knocking out Amir Khan. Calling out the Sheffielder to continue with retirement, Benn told him that picking him up for a fight would be his worst mistake, “I just said to him, stay retired, mate, stay retired. Because you’ll get hurt messing with me. 

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Now Josh Taylor zoomed in on his crosshairs. The former, who barring the WBO and The Ring belts, gave up remaining titles, thereby ceding his undisputed status, to have a rematch with bete noire, Jack Catterall, finally settled for a title defense against Teofimo Lopez.

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Conor Benn takes a dig at Josh Taylor

Despite being the clear favorite to win, the Scotsman faced an overwhelmingly superior Lopez, who outboxed and outclassed him to win the match unanimously. Addressing ‘The Tartan Tornado,’ Conor Benn wrote on his Instagram Story, “@joshtaylorbox1 I’d happily give you 3rd beating on the spin. Don’t play with me.” Taylor brought up the drug test controversy head-on, “Must be the roid rage kicking in? Or is that the pregnancy hormones? @conorbennofficial.” 

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‘The Destroyer’ further slammed Taylor, telling him to avoid trash talks, and said that he understands that now, at this stage, after the humiliating loss, the latter must be in search of big matches to haul off a few lucrative purses. He said, I wouldn’t throw stones if I [were] you….#joshtaylorbox1, I get you want your last payday before retirement.”

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Will Benn be able to take on Taylor amid suspension following the drug test fiasco?

Conor Benn thwarted Chris Van Heerden’s challenge on April 11, 2022, to take away his WBA Continental Welterweight title. It was his eighth title defense. So a fight with Chris Eubank Jr. by October seemed imminent. But the drug test that he failed to clear resulted in the BBBofC postponing the contest. The controversy forged ahead to this year. While the WBC cleared Benn’s name, the UKAD suspended him from all athletic activities on March 15. Their investigation continues. In the meantime, the boxer doesn’t hold any license to participate in a fight staged in Britain. 

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Read More: “That’s Prob the Best Excuse I’ve Heard in a While”: Fans Have a Field Day as Hanna Gabriels Failed Her Drug Test Ahead of Claressa Shields Fight

Would a potential match between Benn and Taylor be the right action? Please share your thoughts and views with us in the comments below.

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Jaideep R Unnithan

3,657 Articles

Jaideep R. Unnithan is a Senior Boxing Writer at EssentiallySports and one of the division’s most trusted voices. Since joining in October 2022, he has brought a deep love for the sport into every story, whether reporting on live bouts with the ES LiveEvent Desk or unpacking the legacy of fighters from different eras as part of the features desk. Trained under EssentiallySports’ prestigious Journalistic Excellence Program, which is a specialized training initiative designed to refine top writers' skills through mentorship and advanced sports journalism techniques, Jaideep’s writing reflects a quiet authority shaped by two years of covering boxing’s flashpoints and fault lines. He is drawn to the warrior code of legends like Alexis Argüello and Marvin Hagler, while also staying attuned to the promise of rising stars like Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez, David Benavidez, and Dmitry Bivol. Jaideep has a special fascination with Naoya Inoue’s old-school grit. Beyond writing, he reads widely, a habit that sharpens his storytelling, whether he’s tracing the rhythm of a classic fight or preparing his next ringside dispatch. Before joining EssentiallySports, Jaideep worked as a client manager and team manager in corporate roles, bringing strong organizational and communication skills to his journalistic career. He has also completed notable certifications, including a Non-Fiction Book Writing Workshop.

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Shibu Immanuel

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