Conah Walker sets sights on Saudi Arabia after latest stunning knockout win

The Wolverhampton welterweight retained his British title in stunning fashion by flooring Taylor at Birmingham’s BP Pulse Arena on Saturday night.

It was the 30-year-old’s fifth win in six fights, continuing his surge through the ranks and he now hopes to land a lucrative bout in the Middle East.

Asked what was next on the agenda, in the aftermath of Saturday’s win, he replied: “Saudi! Turki (Alalshikh), come on – show me the money!”

Walker thanked promoter, Eddie Hearn, for “changing his life” and it is the latter who will now do everything in his power to make a date in Saudi a reality.

Hearn quipped: “Six fights ago we put Conah on one of our shows to get beat. We can’t get rid of him now!”

The Matchroom boss continued: “In every fight he has delivered value for money. Everyone watching, who spends their hard-earned money to be here tonight, you know when Conah Walker fights you get value for money.”

That was again the case on Saturday as Walker, who had lost two out of three bouts before an eighth-round stoppage of Matchroom prospect Cyrus Pattinson in August 2023, delivered an impressive first defence of the Lonsdale belt he had ripped from the grasp of Harry Scarff with an 11th round knockout in January.

Lancashire's Taylor, mounting his second challenge for the title in his 32nd professional outing, enjoyed similar success to Scarff when the pair were at range, neatly picking off Walker’s attacks with his jab and catching the attention of his opponent with a fearsome first round upper cut.

But just like Scarff he discovered no matter how many times you hit Walker, the Midlands fighter will continue to march forward, more often than not with a large grin on his face.

This was Walker's first fight under the guidance of new trainer Jamie Moore, a move he claims has made him an even more relentless warrior than before. 

Here came proof as despite taking more punishment than he delivered in four of the first five rounds, Walker maintained the pressure and when he raised the tempo further in the sixth, a bloodied Taylor increasingly found himself being dragged into a scrap.

Even then, the finish was dramatic. Pushed into a corner, Taylor attempted to counter but fell short and a powerful left hook from Walker sent him crashing to the canvas. 

Immediately, it was clear he stood little chance of beating referee Bob Williams’ count. Walker nodded at the TV cameras before the celebrations began in earnest, both in the ring and in the stands among hundreds of supporters who had travelled across the West Midlands to back their man.

“I drag them into deep water. Take them to the edge of a cliff and throw them off,” explained Walker, whose only defeat in the last two years came in a thriller against world title prospect Lewis Crocker.

“I stuck to the game plan, to an extent. It’s the little things I do that people don’t see. I’m on you forever. I don’t let you have a second off.”