Conor Benn went the full 12 rounds for the first time in his career as he secured a points victory over Peter Dobson on Saturday night.
Fighting for the second time since two failed drugs test ahead of a planned bout with Chris Eubank Jr at the end of 2022, Benn was caught at times but the result was never truly in doubt, as the judges scored it 119-109, 118-110 and 118-110 in his favour.
The bout took place in Las Vegas, with Benn still not holding a UK license amid an ongoing appeal from the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) against the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) lifting his suspension.
Benn got ten rounds under his belt against Rodolfo Orozco in a low-key return in September, and he was again unable to produce an explosive finish here despite moving to 22-0 as a professional.
"I was in cruise control," Benn said in the ring after the fight.
"It was alright, I've had harder spars though. It was good work.
"He was tough, but he was in there to survive really. A bit disappointed - I came out like I said I would come out. If he'd have opened up, instead of surviving, then he would have been in for it."
Promoter Eddie Hearn, who has in recent months attempted, unsuccessfully, to once again make the fight between Benn and Eubank, made it clear after the fight that he still had hopes of an all-British showdown between the rivals.
"I'm still absolutely baffled by Chris Eubank Jr," Hearn said.
"People talk about him making 160lbs. No-one talks about Conor Benn moving up two divisions to fight him. He'll criticise tonight, he'll take about this, and yet he continues to turn down a pay day three times bigger than he can get anywhere else.
"If [Benn] is easy work, and you want to make the biggest fight in the history of British boxing, make it. But I don't understand."
Benn labelled Eubank Jr a "p**** in response, before making it clear that he did not want to continue fighting outside of the UK.
"The dream is to fight back home, that's the plan," Benn said.
"Although Sin City is amazing... fight back home, that's the plan. Once all this is cleared up, I'll feel brand new. It's still lingering, still in the back of my head. I want to get back to being able to fully focus on destroying people."
