Denzel Bentley: stripped of WBO title, on street violence and the Mosley Jr fight

Denzel Bentley said at his gym in Essex that he had been stripped of his WBO world middleweight title after the sanctioning body refused permission for him to defend the belt against Shane Mosley Jr this Saturday night at London’s Copper Box Arena, the WBO having rejected his appeal last Friday.

Bentley, who described himself as “very reluctant to tell my story,” spoke about the deaths of friends in Battersea that have shaped his life outside the ring and said he still intends to beat Mosley Jr in the first fight of a new six-fight deal with American promoter Zuffa. He admitted he was “disappointed” and that “I don’t feel as if I’ve been treated like a champion,” while outlining how personal trauma frames his view of boxing’s recent political disputes.

Bentley recounted violent episodes from his youth and said boxing saved him: “I don’t want a sob story,” he said, “but boxing definitely saved me. I got out of a lot of trouble because of boxing. A lot of things happened on the estate and I was at the gym. I missed things by the skin of my teeth. But I’ve been chased. I’ve been shot at. I’d be scared for my life. But, as a teenager, you become immune to it.” He described arriving at the scene when a close friend was stabbed before his November 2023 defeat to Nathan Heaney, recalling paramedics, the victim’s brother and the shock of the call.

On the scale of losses, Bentley said: “To knife and gun crime? It’s a lot, man.” He added: “Definitely. I can’t count how many friends I’ve lost. The first time I lost someone to knife crime, I was 12.” He also recalled that “Even the night before I fought Danny Dignum [whom Bentley knocked out in May 2024], another friend was shot,” and said the juxtaposition of fighting and mourning left him with guilt.

Bentley described continuing ties to his old neighbourhood and his wish to move his mother out: “I’d love to move her out. I want my kids to go see their grandma.” He also said: “But, listen, we’re not in the middle of Gaza where people are going through so much worse than us. We’re still privileged to be in positions where I can find a way to move myself out.” He explained he only started boxing at 17 after stopping football at 16, leaving university where he had been studying sports science, and working part-time at Sainsbury’s while cycling to the Bermondsey gym on a Santander bike.

Bentley credited his amateur trainer Steve Hiser for giving him belief — “Oh, Steve Hiser, what a man,” he said — and noted Hiser’s death in 2023 came as he had become British middleweight champion. Professionally, Bentley fought Janibek Alimkhanuly for the WBO world title in Las Vegas in November 2022 and lost on points to a fighter who “three years later, failed a drugs test.” After beating Brad Pauls in December 2024 to regain his British title and become European champion, he said he spent 16 months out of the ring because “the machinations of boxing scuppered numerous bouts.”

Bentley said he earned no pay during that period, looked for work and accepted an advance from former promoter Frank Warren before returning to the ring seven months ago to stop Endry Saavedra and win the WBO interim title at the O2 Arena. In July he was upgraded to WBO world champion after Alimkhanuly vacated the title, left Queensberry Promotions and signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa, the US-based outfit led by Dana White. “I need to be where I’m appreciated,” Bentley said, adding: “Of course people are critical of Zuffa because they’re new in boxing. But they’ve got two world champions in my weight class in Aaron McKenna [who holds the IBF belt] and Carlos Adames [the WBC title-holder]. There are loads of fights for me so it was a no-brainer.”

On the WBO’s insistence he face mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernández, Bentley said the organisation had previously signalled an original plan — a voluntary for him before the end of the year and the mandatory next year — and that Hernández “can’t fight until next year but I can’t be inactive. I also have a family to feed.” After his appeal was rejected, Bentley said: “Weirdly enough I feel relief that the saga’s now over. We can move forward and look to win another world title.” He described Mosley Jr as “a good, tough, awkward fighter. He throws shots and he’s a dog in the ring.”

Bentley will face Shane Mosley Jr this Saturday night at London’s Copper Box Arena in the first bout of his six-fight deal with Zuffa, and said: “My past experiences have helped me build a lot of resilience. I’m ready to go out there on Saturday and put on a show. It’s an exciting new chapter in my life and we’ll see where it takes me.”