Conor Benn almost gets into fight with boxing rival while attending event in New York

Their encounter came just 24 hours after both fighters had attended a boxing awards ceremony.

At that event, Benn's first bout against Chris Eubank Jr was honoured with the fight of the year award.

The 29-year-old Briton and Romero rival have been circling each other for some time, with tensions clearly running high between the two welterweights.

Last night's situation turned physical when Romero, sporting a large orange puffer jacket, ventured too close to Benn's ringside seat.

The two fighters squared up face-to-face, exchanging insults and threats before security personnel separated them.

During the heated exchange, Benn appeared to reach across and grab hold of Romero's jacket.

Promoter Eddie Hearn found himself acting as an impromptu peacekeeper, stepping in to keep the warring boxers apart.

The confrontation underscored the genuine animosity between the two welterweights, with neither man willing to back down from the other despite the public setting.

Benn has had his sights set on a showdown with Romero for several months now.

Speaking during the summer, the British fighter expressed his eagerness to secure the bout: "We've got Rolly there. Rolly is a fight we'd love to make."

He added at the time: "If we don't make progress with any other developments by the end of the month, then we pull the trigger on getting the Rolly fight made."

Following the Madison Square Garden confrontation, Benn made clear his willingness to settle matters immediately.

"He can get it tonight, or we can do it next," the 29-year-old declared.

Benn has declared his intention to return to the welterweight division in pursuit of a world title, having spent four years competing outside the 147lb category.

The British fighter has secured a No 1 ranking for Mario Barrios' WBC championship.

Barrios, 30, will put his green and gold belt on the line against Ryan Garcia, 27, in Las Vegas on 21 February, with Benn expected to be watching from ringside.

The Essex fighter's primary target is the victor of that contest.

However, Romero, who defeated Garcia last May, represents Benn's alternative option should negotiations with the Barrios-Garcia winner prove unsuccessful.