Middleweight world champion Denzel Bentley has committed to a multi-fight agreement with Zuffa Boxing and will make his return to the ring on November 7 at the Copper Box Arena in a televised clash against American middleweight Shane Mosley Jr, with the action broadcast live on Sky Sports.
The Battersea fighter's showdown with Mosley Jr forms part of the stacked ZUFFA BOXING 12 card, which will be headlined by Chris Billam-Smith's cruiserweight encounter with Cheavon Clarke. Supporters can purchase tickets immediately through Ticketmaster.
Bentley established himself as a world-class operator at middleweight after claiming the WBO crown following a gruelling victory over Endry Saavedra at London's O2 arena in April. In that hard-fought contest against the dangerous Venezuelan, Bentley demonstrated his championship mettle by securing a powerful seventh-round stoppage.
That triumph saw him capture the WBO Interim title, which was subsequently elevated to the full world championship. However, according to reports from DAZN, Bentley was promoted to champion after Janibek Alimkhanuly moved up to super-middleweight, meaning he had not yet defended the WBO title in the ring before this November assignment.
The journey to world title glory has not been straightforward for the Battersea man. A former British champion, Bentley suffered a setback when he challenged Zhanibek Alimkhanuly for a world title. He recovered from a shock defeat to Nathan Heaney by recording victories over Danny Dignum, Derrick Osaze and Brad Pauls, victories that positioned him perfectly for the Saavedra showdown.
That's an achievement ticked off, that's one of my goals. I can leave the sport knowing that I was a world champion. But now it's time to try and achieve more and raise my potential. I don't think many people tipped me to be a world champion when I first started, Bentley told Sky Sports.
I didn't really know if I could even get a chance to compete for one rather than actually win one. It's the highest accolade in the sport so you have to do a lot to get there but I just bit down and went through the process and made it there.
Mosley Jr, the son of boxing legend Shane Mosley, arrives in London on the back of an impressive recent performance. The American halted strong Ukrainian fighter Serhii Bohachuk in six rounds during a Las Vegas bout, demonstrating his credentials at the highest level. His résumé includes a victory over former world champion Daniel Jacobs, though he fell short in a bid for the WBC Interim title when he faced Jesus Alejandro Ramos last year.
Title complications and future ambitions
Bentley's move to Zuffa has created complications regarding his WBO title obligations. According to DAZN reporting, the champion appealed to the WBO's grievance committee in early October seeking permission to make a voluntary defence rather than vacating his title. The outcome of that appeal remained pending at the time of the announcement. Additionally, Fight Magazine reported that Warriors Boxing had won the purse bid for an ordered Bentley–Yoenli Hernandez mandatory bout with a $200,000 offer, with the champion's share standing at 80 per cent, or $160,000.
Beyond the Mosley Jr assignment, Bentley has his sights set on unification opportunities. The victor over Mosley Jr could position himself as the division's leading contender, with IBF champion Aaron McKenna representing an obvious next target. McKenna recently announced his credentials by defeating Etinosa Oliha to claim the IBF title.
I think me and Aaron, the winner of that will be the No 1 in the division, Bentley reflected.
If we are the ones making a noise in this division, you can't help make the winner of that fight No 1, rather than looking at [Carlos] Adames or [Erislandy] Lara and looking at their past performances and what they've done in the past and using that to make them No 1. We can put the middleweight division back on the map.
However, Bentley's reported alignment with Zuffa has created uncertainty around a potential unification with McKenna, according to the same DAZN report.
Supporting cast at Copper Box
The November 7 card features an impressive array of emerging talent. London-born cruiserweight prospect Lucas Roehrig, who holds a 9-0 record with five knockouts, will face Scotland's Connal McDonald, 5-1 (1), in an eight-round contest.
Scottish middleweight prospect Sam Hickey, unbeaten at 6-0 (3), will pursue his third consecutive knockout victory when he takes on Troy "The Hawk" Coleman, 15-5-1 (7), in an eight-rounder. Hickey recently delivered a scintillating seventh-round stoppage over Brad Axe at Zuffa Boxing 10 in Dublin.
American heavyweight prospect Da'Mazion Vanhouter, an unbeaten 13-0 (10), makes his UK debut against big-hitting Ivan Balaz, 9-1 (7), in an eight-round affair. The 21-year-old has recorded six first-round knockouts in his last seven outings.
Super-lightweight star Kayla Allen, who turned professional last Saturday at Copper Box Arena, will feature in her second professional bout at the same venue in a six-rounder against an opponent yet to be confirmed.
Additional details regarding the event will be released in the coming weeks.
