Bentley eyes world title return ahead of American test at London's Copper Box Arena

Bentley, who first boxed at a fight club his brother ran on their local estate, says Zuffa Boxing has told him it will help put him back in position to win a world title.

Bentley believes Zuffa Boxing can return him to world title contention as he prepares to face an American opponent at London's Copper Box Arena on Saturday.

The former world champion, who has 22 wins, three losses and one draw, said many people view his move to Zuffa as being about money. He said he did want to be properly paid for a demanding job in which fighters take a lot of punches, but added: “But I want to become world champion again. All of the above can be true, I don't have to sacrifice one for the other. I've asked Zuffa to get me back in position to win another one. They said no problem.” His route into the sport began far from a promoter's card. His brother ran a fight club on their local estate, where a headguard, a pair of gloves and a friend were all Bentley needed for his first taste of boxing.

When he met a friend at college who boxed, Bentley assumed his experience in the streets meant he could do the same. He quickly found that was not the case and said he even called the punches by the wrong names, thinking of a left jab and a right jab rather than a jab and a cross. He said: “I was hitting the bags but had the wrong form and then I was getting battered in sparring. I thought 'OK, this wasn't what I was doing' but I wanted to learn how to do it.” Getting to training brought its own obstacles. Short of money, having sold his car and unwilling to pay for buses, Bentley walked from his home in Battersea to the gym in Bermondsey. He then switched to Santander hire bikes, paying £2 and riding fast enough to keep each journey under 30 minutes so he was not charged extra.

Bentley said: “I'd just put my music in and people would ask, 'Oh, you like walking to the gym?' but I just didn't have any other choice. When I discovered the bikes, it was a game-changer.”

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