Eddie Hearn on Denzel Bentley's Zuffa Boxing move: ‘Guys, have a brain’

The Matchroom promoter said Bentley could have had big nights defending his world title and is instead fighting Shane Mosley Jr “in front of 1,200 people at the Copper Box”.

Eddie Hearn said Denzel Bentley has given up the chance of big world title nights by signing for Zuffa Boxing and fighting Shane Mosley Jr at the Copper Box Arena, in an interview with iFL TV.

The Matchroom promoter said: “Just, guys, have a brain ... no one chases a pound note more than me. No one. But just be smart and understand that, like I said, money comes and goes.”

He added: “Denzel Bentley could have had big nights defending his world title, trying to unify, fight the biggest names in the sport. Now he's going to fight in front of 1,200 people at the Copper Box against Shane Mosley Jr. He might even get beat. For what? But it doesn't matter, because if you buy a VIP ticket, you can meet someone from the WWE that no one's ever heard of. It's absolutely ... it's wild. Wild.”

Bentley, from London, fights Mosley Jr at the Copper Box Arena on 7 November as co-feature to Chris Billam-Smith vs Cheavon Clarke at Zuffa Boxing 12. He had asked the WBO to let him put his middleweight title on the line in that fight instead of facing mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez (read more).

Hearn has also called Zuffa Boxing “a laughingstock of the sport” in an interview with DAZN (read more).

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