Middleweight world champion Denzel Bentley has sealed a multi‑fight agreement with Zuffa Boxing and is slated to step into the ring on November 7 at London’s Copper Box Arena, with the bout being shown live on Sky Sports. The British fighter from Battersea will face the talented American middleweight Shane Mosley Jr. as part of the stacked ZUFFA BOXING 12 card, which is headlined by the showdown between Chris Billam‑Smith and Cheavon Clarke.
Tickets for the event are now on sale through Ticketmaster, and fans are being urged to secure their seats early for what promises to be a night of high‑octane action. Bentley, a world‑class middleweight, earned the WBO title after a gritty victory over Endry Saavedra at the O2 Arena in April. In that fight, Bentley weathered a fierce challenge before delivering a decisive finish in the seventh round, a performance that upgraded his interim title to the full world championship.
Bentley’s journey to the top has been anything but smooth. After capturing the British middleweight title, he suffered a setback in his first world‑title attempt against Zhanibek Alimkhanuly. He rebounded from an unexpected loss to Nathan Heaney by stringing together wins over Danny Dignum, Derrick Osaze and Brad Pauls, which paved the way for the title‑winning bout with Saavedra. Reflecting on his achievement, Bentley told Sky Sports, “That’s an achievement ticked off, that’s one of my goals.
I can leave the sport knowing that I was a world champion. But now it’s time to try and achieve more and raise my potential. I don’t think many people tipped me to be a world champion when I first started.” He added, “I didn’t really know if I could even get a chance to compete for one rather than actually win one. It’s the highest accolade in the sport so you have to do a lot to get there but I just bit down and went through the process and made it there.” Mosley Jr., the son of former world champion Shane Mosley, arrives in London riding a wave of confidence after a dominant six‑round stoppage of Ukrainian contender Serhii Bohachuk in Las Vegas.
The American has already proved his mettle against top‑level opposition, having defeated former world champion Daniel Jacobs and narrowly missing the WBC interim title in a bout with Jesus Alejandro Ramos last year. While Mosley Jr.
is not Bentley’s mandatory challenger, he holds a respectable No. 6 ranking in the WBO’s middleweight standings.
Bentley remains unapologetically confident, telling Sky Sports News, “I’m very game. I like to have a fight. I’ve got a very good knockout ratio, you can expect knockouts. Most importantly I am still currently the WBO middleweight champion.” He also addressed circulating rumors about a potential stripping of his belt, noting that his team has filed an appeal which is currently under review.
“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.” Bentley also praised his opponent’s motivation, saying, “The son of a legend, he’s there with a chip on his shoulder, trying to prove everyone wrong who believes he can’t be as successful as his dad.
So he’s very dangerous. He’s got real motivation and he’s going to come in there and put on a great fight.” Beyond the main event, ZUFFA BOXING 12 offers a rich undercard. British cruiserweight prospect Lucas Roehrig (9‑0, 5 KOs) will meet Scotland’s Connal McDonald (5‑1, 1 KO) in an eight‑round bout. Scottish middleweight sensation Sam Hickey (6‑0, 3 KOs) seeks his third consecutive knockout against Troy “The Hawk” Coleman (15‑5‑1, 7 KOs), after a spectacular seventh‑round stoppage of Brad Axe at Zuffa Boxing 10 in Dublin.
American heavyweight Da’Mazion Vanhouter (13‑0, 10 KOs) makes his UK debut against hard‑hitting Ivan Balaz (9‑1, 7 KOs), while rising super‑lightweight Kayla Allen, who turned professional at the Copper Box Arena last Saturday, will contest her second pro fight in a six‑rounder against a yet‑to‑be‑named opponent. The event’s full details will continue to be released in the weeks leading up to the fight night. Bentley also hinted at future ambitions beyond Mosley Jr., eyeing a potential clash with Aaron McKenna, the recent IBF middleweight champion who defeated Etinosa Oliha. “I think me and Aaron, the winner of that will be the No 1 in the division,” Bentley said.
“If we are the ones making a noise in this division, you can’t help but make the winner of that fight No 1, rather than looking at Carlos Adames or Erislandy Lara and using their past performances to rank them.” He concluded, “We can put the middleweight division back on the map.” Fans can watch the Bentley versus Mosley Jr. showdown live on Sky Sports on November 7, and tickets for ZUFFA BOXING 12 remain available via Ticketmaster.
The fight promises to be a pivotal moment for both athletes, offering Bentley a chance to cement his reign and Mosley Jr. an opportunity to step out of his father’s shadow and carve his own legacy in the middleweight ranks.