British middleweight contender Denzel Bentley has shown his abilities as a ruthless finisher in recent years and is now well-poised for a second world title shot of his career. However, he must first get past countryman Brad Pauls before he can look towards a bid for world honours, and he is set to make boxing history if he is able to overcome the ‘Newquay Bomb’.
After drawing in their first encounter, Denzel Bentley halted Mark Heffron in their 2020 rematch to claim the British middleweight title and has established himself as one of the top players at 160lbs in the United Kingdom in the time that followed.
‘2 Sharp’ lost the coveted Lonsdale Belt in his very first fight as champion, suffering a first career defat to the well-respected Felix Cash, but Bentley reclaimed the title just two fights later with a split-decision win against Linus Udofia.
An eye-catching knockout win against Marcus Morrison came soon after, before Bentley made the humungous jump up to the world level to challenge the poster boy of 160lbs, Janibek Alimkhanuly, for the WBO middleweight world title.
In spite of a spirited display, Bentley was no match for ‘Qazaq Style’, who hung on to the WBO strap with a unanimous-decision victory, whilst Bentley earned respect globally for his efforts, despite coming home without the belt.
Bentley then returned to the domestic scene and made a second defence of the British middleweight crown with an emphatic first-round knockout of Kieran Smith but he was then the victim of one of 2023’s biggest upsets when he was outpointed by Nathan Heaney around twelve months ago.
This year, Bentley has bounced back with back-to-back second-round knockouts of Danny Dignum and Derrick Osaze respectively, positioning himself for a clash with Brad Pauls, who knocked out Nathan Heaney in July to become the British champion, and at #4 with the WBO.
Should Bentley come out on top, the Londoner will become the third fighter in the history of boxing to become a three-time British middleweight champion and the first to do so since 1988.
Speaking with Boxing Social, Bentley revealed his excitement at the prospect of cementing his legacy in the sport.
“That is mad, that is a good stat there, I didn’t know that. At least we are making history again and they are adding the European [title], so there is even more accolades to achieve.”
The 29-year-old would join Kevin Finnegan (1974, 1977, 1979) and Tony Sibson (1979, 1984, 1987) in an extremely elite club – although it is no foregone conclusion with Brad Pauls sure to fancy his chances in a 50/50 affair on December 7th.
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