Josh Kelly delivered a devastating performance at the Newcastle Arena last night, requiring just 2 minutes and 3 seconds to dispatch Flavius Biea with a crushing left hook.
The Sunderland fighter barely broke a sweat as he dropped his Romanian opponent with a double left hook to the head in the opening round.
Biea struggled to beat referee Reece Carter's count, prompting the official to halt the contest.
Kelly had not competed since defeating Ishmael Davis via majority decision in September, on the undercard for Anthony Joshua v Daniel Dubios at Wembley.
Josh Kelly defeated Flavius Biea after just two minutes
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His explosive return saw him secure only his ninth stoppage victory in a career record that now stands at 17 wins, one defeat and one draw.
The 31-year-old wasted no time in calling out domestic rival Conor Benn following his emphatic victory.
"[I want] everyone [and] anyone. If it's a big domestic fight, [I want] Benn," he told Channel 5.
"If it's not Benn, if he doesn't want to take that fight, then it'll be a big world title fight."
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Josh Kelly called Conor Benn out after his victory
GettyThe clash between Kelly and Benn has been mooted for years, representing one of British boxing's most anticipated domestic encounters.
Benn is currently weighing his options after suffering his first career defeat to Chris Eubank Jr in April.
A rematch with Eubank Jr in September remains possible, though a return to welterweight or junior middleweight could bring the Kelly fight into play.
Kelly's world title ambitions are backed by impressive rankings across the sport's governing bodies.
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"In every governing body, I'm ranked number four or number three, two in some governing bodies," Kelly stated.
"I'm there. I've been knocking on the door for some time. I'm in my prime now. Let me run, let me run."
The 31-year-old currently sits just behind mandatory challenger Erickson Lubin in the IBF rankings at 154lbs.
This positioning could soon present an opportunity to challenge IBF world champion Bakhram Murtazaliev.
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Conor Benn recently lost his undefeated record in a brilliant contest against Chris Eubank Jr
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Kelly's emphatic performance reinforced his credentials as a genuine world title contender at super-welterweight.
Kelly's resurgence follows a difficult period after his sole career defeat to David Avanesyan in 2021.
Since that setback, the Sunderland fighter has seven consecutive victories, steadily rebuilding his reputation and climbing the rankings.
His potential opponent Benn enters a crossroads after his close points defeat to Chris Eubank Jr in April's fight of the year contender.
Elsewhere on the Newcastle card, Tom Welland defeated Facundo Acre 59-55 on the referee's scorecard.
Dan Toward stopped Conor Goulding in round five before his hometown supporters, whilst heavyweight Matty Harris and cruiserweight prospect Lucas Roehrig also secured victories.
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