Middleweight world champion Denzel Bentley has inked a multi‑fight agreement with Zuffa Boxing and is slated to step into the ring on 7 November at London’s Copper Box Arena, with the bout being shown live on Sky Sports. The British fighter from Battersea will face off against the talented American middleweight Shane Mosley Jr.
on the action‑packed ZUFFA BOXING 12 card, which is headlined by the showdown between Chris Billam‑Smith and Cheavon Clarke. Tickets for the event are currently on sale through Ticketmaster, and demand is already high as fans anticipate a night of high‑octane boxing. Bentley, a world‑class middleweight, captured the WBO title after a hard‑fought victory over Endry Saavedra at the O2 Arena in April.
In that encounter Bentley weathered early pressure before delivering a decisive seventh‑round finish that saw the Venezuelan opponent stopped, securing the interim WBO belt which was later upgraded to the full world championship. Bentley’s journey to the top has been anything but smooth. The former British champion suffered his first world‑title setback when he challenged Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, and later endured an unexpected defeat at the hands of Nathan Heaney.
Undeterred, he rebounded by defeating Danny Dignum, Derrick Osaze and Brad Pauls, victories that paved the way for the title‑winning Saavedra fight. Reflecting on his ascent, 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 boxing great Shane Mosley, comes into the fight with considerable pedigree and recent momentum. He most recently stopped the hard‑hitting Ukrainian Serhii Bohachuk in six rounds in Las Vegas, showcasing his power and ring IQ. The American has already tested himself against elite competition, recording a win over former world champion Daniel Jacobs and narrowly missing the WBC interim title after a bout with Jesus Alejandro Ramos last year.
The ZUFFA BOXING 12 event will feature a full undercard of promising talent. London‑born cruiserweight prospect Lucas Roehrig (9‑0, 5 KOs) will square off against Scotland’s Connal McDonald (5‑1, 1 KO) in an eight‑rounder.
Scottish middleweight phenom Sam Hickey (6‑0, 3 KOs) seeks his third straight knockout as he meets Troy "The Hawk" Coleman (15‑5‑1, 7 KOs) in another eight‑round bout, following 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 super‑lightweight Kayla Allen, who turned professional just last Saturday at the Copper Box Arena, will contest her second pro fight in a six‑rounder against an opponent yet to be announced. While Mosley Jr.
is not Bentley’s mandatory challenger, he holds a respectable No. 6 ranking with the WBO, making the bout a credible test for the champion. Bentley explained his mindset to 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.
I know everything that’s gone on online and all the rumours [that he could be stripped of the belt]. 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 good, ranked opponent too.” He also praised Mosley Jr.’s motivation, noting, “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.” The winner of the Bentley‑Mosley Jr. clash could open the door to further high‑profile match‑ups.
Aaron McKenna, who claimed the IBF middleweight title after beating Etinosa Oliha, is mentioned as a potential future opponent for Bentley should he emerge victorious. “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 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. We can put the middleweight division back on the map.” Fans can watch the entire event, including the main event between Bentley and Mosley Jr., live on Sky Sports on 7 November. Additional details about the undercard and any last‑minute changes will be released in the weeks leading up to the fight.
The event promises to be a pivotal moment for the middleweight division, offering a blend of established champions, rising prospects, and the intrigue of a legacy fighter eager to step out of his father’s shadow. Tickets remain available via Ticketmaster, and the venue is expected to fill quickly as the UK boxing community rallies behind what could become a defining night for both competitors.