WBO middleweight champion Denzel Bentley has signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing and will face Shane Mosley Jr on November 7 at London’s Copper Box Arena, a money move that still leaves his belt hanging in the balance.
According to Sky Sports, the Battersea fighter’s Zuffa debut lands as the co-feature on Zuffa Boxing 12, headlined by Chris Billam-Smith vs Cheavon Clarke. Sky Sports will carry the card in the UK and Ireland, with Paramount+ streaming in the United States and Canada.
The Ring reported that Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) was ordered to face mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez (11-0, 9 KOs) next, but has petitioned the WBO to allow a voluntary defense against Mosley Jr (23-5, 13 KOs) instead. If the petition fails, the sanctioning body could strip him for not boxing Hernandez.
That financial contrast is the core of the story. Warriors Boxing won a WBO purse bid for Bentley-Hernandez at $200,000, the minimum, with an 80/20 split that would have paid Bentley about $150,000. Bentley’s Mosley Jr purse has not been disclosed, but The Ring noted it is expected to be far higher under the new Zuffa deal.
Bentley: still champ, appeal pending
Bentley told Sky Sports News he remains the WBO middleweight champion and that his team has filed an appeal to keep the title attached to the Mosley Jr fight.
Most importantly I am still currently the WBO middleweight champion. I know everything that’s gone on online and all the rumours. My team has put in an appeal, that appeal has gone through. We are hoping that we can get through this appeal and we get to defend this WBO title against a game, ranked opponent too.
Mosley Jr, son of Hall of Famer Shane Mosley, stopped Serhii Bohachuk in six rounds in Las Vegas on May 10. Sky Sports lists him as the WBO’s No. 6 ranked middleweight, not the mandatory.
Earlier midweek reports had Bentley vacating the belt after the Zuffa signing, including coverage citing Dan Rafael. Bentley’s on-record comments and Friday’s Sky Sports and Ring reports frame the title status as unresolved pending the WBO ruling, not already vacated.
For Bentley, the November 7 date delivers a hometown Zuffa launch against a ranked, proven puncher. For the WBO, the question is whether a voluntary against Mosley Jr clears the Hernandez order, or whether the champion walks into Copper Box without the strap he just earned.
