Denzel Bentley happy to fight Hernandez but wants his WBO title on the line against Mosley Jr

The London middleweight argues the WBO's rules give a new champion nine months before a mandatory is called. He fights Mosley Jr at the Copper Box Arena on 7 November, live on Sky Sports.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Mon 12 Oct, 13:54 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Denzel Bentley with the WBO belt — Photo: Sky Sports

Post by @SkySportsBoxing on X

London's Denzel Bentley says he is not running from mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez, and has appealed to the WBO to let him put his middleweight title on the line against Shane Mosley Jr at the Copper Box Arena on 7 November instead.

"I'm more than happy to fight Hernandez. It's just the situation at hand. We already thought we were fighting a voluntary defence before the end of the year and put things in place for that. This has been thrown on us," Bentley told Sky Sports. "It just makes it a difficult place for me to be in. I don't want to vacate and I don't want to be stripped of my title. But I have to move forward in my career and I cannot wait around for people to make decisions for me."

The WBO ordered Bentley to face Hernandez, its No. 1 contender, and the fight went to a purse bid on 29 September. Hernandez's promoter, Warriors Boxing, was the only bidder, at the $200,000 minimum. Bentley has since signed with Zuffa Boxing and agreed to fight Mosley Jr, the No. 6 contender, as co-feature to Chris Billam-Smith vs Cheavon Clarke at Zuffa Boxing 12, live on Sky Sports.

Bentley argues the mandatory came too soon. He won the interim title by stopping Endry Saavedra in the seventh round at The O2 in April and was elevated to full champion in July, when Zhanibek Alimkhanuly moved up to super-middleweight, where he has since agreed terms with Jacob Bank for the vacant WBO title. "I think because it went to purse bids it's making it a bit difficult at this point. I think we do have a good case. I did become champion and in their rulings you get nine months from when you become champion until your the mandatory gets called on. We've been fighting this case from before it went to purse bids," he said. The other side of the argument is that Alimkhanuly had been out of action for a year before he moved up, so a mandatory defence of the belt was already overdue.

Bentley, 22-3-1, believes he can keep the title for the Mosley Jr fight. "I think we've got a strong enough case for us to keep our title and if we can keep the title on the line for this fight, it would be an honour for me and an honour for Shane Mosley Jr getting a shot at a world title and he could potentially become world champion. Not on my watch, I'm not going to let that happen."

Mosley Jr, the son of Shane Mosley, stopped Serhii Bohachuk in the sixth round in May. "He's a tough guy, he's got a lot of heart and it's going to be a tough fight," Bentley said. "I think it's going to be a little bit of a dogfight."