diff --git a/cmd/erasure-object.go b/cmd/erasure-object.go
index f565e8f60..062b84593 100644
--- a/cmd/erasure-object.go
+++ b/cmd/erasure-object.go
@@ -112,9 +112,20 @@ func (er erasureObjects) CopyObject(ctx context.Context, srcBucket, srcObject, d
 		// preserve destination versionId if specified.
 		if versionID == "" {
 			versionID = mustGetUUID()
+			fi.IsLatest = true // we are creating a new version so this is latest.
 		}
 		modTime = UTCNow()
 	}
+
+	// If the data is not inlined, we may end up incorrectly
+	// inlining the data here, that leads to an inconsistent
+	// situation where some objects are were not inlined
+	// were now inlined, make sure to `nil` the Data such
+	// that xl.meta is written as expected.
+	if !fi.InlineData() {
+		fi.Data = nil
+	}
+
 	fi.VersionID = versionID // set any new versionID we might have created
 	fi.ModTime = modTime     // set modTime for the new versionID
 	if !dstOpts.MTime.IsZero() {
@@ -130,6 +141,14 @@ func (er erasureObjects) CopyObject(ctx context.Context, srcBucket, srcObject, d
 			metaArr[index].ModTime = modTime
 			metaArr[index].VersionID = versionID
 			metaArr[index].Metadata = srcInfo.UserDefined
+			if !metaArr[index].InlineData() {
+				// If the data is not inlined, we may end up incorrectly
+				// inlining the data here, that leads to an inconsistent
+				// situation where some objects are were not inlined
+				// were now inlined, make sure to `nil` the Data such
+				// that xl.meta is written as expected.
+				metaArr[index].Data = nil
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -138,8 +157,6 @@ func (er erasureObjects) CopyObject(ctx context.Context, srcBucket, srcObject, d
 		return oi, toObjectErr(err, srcBucket, srcObject)
 	}
 
-	// we are adding a new version to this object under the namespace lock, so this is the latest version.
-	fi.IsLatest = true
 	return fi.ToObjectInfo(srcBucket, srcObject), nil
 }
 
@@ -1319,10 +1336,21 @@ func (er erasureObjects) DeleteObject(ctx context.Context, bucket, object string
 		if opts.VersionPurgeStatus() == Complete {
 			markDelete = false
 		}
-		// determine if the version represents an object delete
-		// deleteMarker = true
-		if versionFound && !goi.DeleteMarker { // implies a versioned delete of object
-			deleteMarker = false
+
+		// Version is found but we do not wish to create more delete markers
+		// now, since VersionPurgeStatus() is already set, we can let the
+		// lower layers decide this. This fixes a regression that was introduced
+		// in PR #14555 where !VersionPurgeStatus.Empty() is automatically
+		// considered as Delete marker true to avoid listing such objects by
+		// regular ListObjects() calls. However for delete replication this
+		// ends up being a problem because "upon" a successful delete this
+		// ends up creating a new delete marker that is spurious and unnecessary.
+		if versionFound {
+			if !goi.VersionPurgeStatus.Empty() {
+				deleteMarker = false
+			} else if !goi.DeleteMarker { // implies a versioned delete of object
+				deleteMarker = false
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/cmd/object-handlers.go b/cmd/object-handlers.go
index 4635a0fac..2c4e73375 100644
--- a/cmd/object-handlers.go
+++ b/cmd/object-handlers.go
@@ -1118,10 +1118,10 @@ func (api objectAPIHandlers) CopyObjectHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Re
 	}
 
 	var chStorageClass bool
-	if dstSc != "" {
+	if dstSc != "" && dstSc != srcInfo.StorageClass {
 		chStorageClass = true
 		srcInfo.metadataOnly = false
-	}
+	} // no changes in storage-class expected so its a metadataonly operation.
 
 	var reader io.Reader = gr
 
diff --git a/cmd/xl-storage.go b/cmd/xl-storage.go
index 6eb1f1da8..6a6e1ba1e 100644
--- a/cmd/xl-storage.go
+++ b/cmd/xl-storage.go
@@ -901,19 +901,24 @@ func (s *xlStorage) deleteVersions(ctx context.Context, volume, path string, fis
 			if versionID == "" {
 				versionID = nullVersionID
 			}
+
 			// PR #11758 used DataDir, preserve it
 			// for users who might have used master
 			// branch
-			if !xlMeta.data.remove(versionID, dataDir) {
-				filePath := pathJoin(volumeDir, path, dataDir)
-				if err = checkPathLength(filePath); err != nil {
+			xlMeta.data.remove(versionID, dataDir)
+
+			// We need to attempt delete "dataDir" on the disk
+			// due to a CopyObject() bug where it might have
+			// inlined the data incorrectly, to avoid a situation
+			// where we potentially leave "DataDir"
+			filePath := pathJoin(volumeDir, path, dataDir)
+			if err = checkPathLength(filePath); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if err = s.moveToTrash(filePath, true); err != nil {
+				if err != errFileNotFound {
 					return err
 				}
-				if err = s.moveToTrash(filePath, true); err != nil {
-					if err != errFileNotFound {
-						return err
-					}
-				}
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -1026,16 +1031,20 @@ func (s *xlStorage) DeleteVersion(ctx context.Context, volume, path string, fi F
 		// PR #11758 used DataDir, preserve it
 		// for users who might have used master
 		// branch
-		if !xlMeta.data.remove(versionID, dataDir) {
-			filePath := pathJoin(volumeDir, path, dataDir)
-			if err = checkPathLength(filePath); err != nil {
+		xlMeta.data.remove(versionID, dataDir)
+
+		// We need to attempt delete "dataDir" on the disk
+		// due to a CopyObject() bug where it might have
+		// inlined the data incorrectly, to avoid a situation
+		// where we potentially leave "DataDir"
+		filePath := pathJoin(volumeDir, path, dataDir)
+		if err = checkPathLength(filePath); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if err = s.moveToTrash(filePath, true); err != nil {
+			if err != errFileNotFound {
 				return err
 			}
-			if err = s.moveToTrash(filePath, true); err != nil {
-				if err != errFileNotFound {
-					return err
-				}
-			}
 		}
 	}