Middleweight world champion Denzel Bentley has secured 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 broadcast live on Sky Sports. The British fighter from Battersea will square off against the talented American middleweight Shane Mosley Jr.
on the action‑packed ZUFFA BOXING 12 card, which is headlined by the clash between Chris Billam‑Smith and Cheavon Clarke. Tickets for the evening are already on sale through Ticketmaster, and fans are being urged to book early to guarantee a seat at what promises to be a night of high‑octane boxing.
Bentley, a world‑class middleweight, captured the WBO title after a gritty performance against Endry Saavedra at the O2 Arena in April. In that fight Bentley weathered a fierce onslaught before delivering a decisive seventh‑round finish that saw him claim the interim WBO belt, which was later upgraded to the full world championship. The victory was a testament to Bentley’s resilience and power, as he neutralised the dangerous Venezuelan opponent with a combination of precision punching and tactical acumen.
The road to that championship has been anything but smooth. Bentley, a former British champion, suffered his first world‑title setback when he challenged Zhanibek Alimkhanuly.
He then rebounded from an unexpected defeat to Nathan Heaney, stringing together wins over Danny Dignum, Derrick Osaze and Brad Pauls to earn his shot at Saavedra. Reflecting on his journey, 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 boxing legend Shane Mosley, arrives in London fresh from a dominant six‑round victory over Ukrainian contender Serhii Bohachuk in Las Vegas. The American has already proven his mettle at a high level, having defeated former world champion Daniel Jacobs and narrowly missing out on the WBC interim title after a bout with Jesus Alejandro Ramos last year. Mosley Jr.
carries the weight of his father’s legacy but also the motivation to carve out his own reputation, entering the fight with a chip on his shoulder and a desire to silence doubters. The broader ZUFFA BOXING 12 event features a host of compelling match‑ups. British cruiserweight hopeful Lucas Roehrig (9‑0, 5 KOs) will face Scotland’s Connal McDonald (5‑1, 1 KO) in an eight‑round contest.
Scottish middleweight prodigy Sam Hickey (6‑0, 3 KOs) looks to secure his third straight knockout against veteran 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, is set for her second professional bout at the same venue.
While Mosley Jr. is not Bentley’s mandatory challenger, he is ranked No.
6 by the WBO, making the fight a significant 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 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 game, ranked opponent too.” He added, “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 outcome of the Bentley‑Mosley Jr. showdown could have far‑reaching implications for the middleweight division. Aaron McKenna, who recently captured the IBF title by defeating Etinosa Oliha, is mentioned as a potential future opponent for Bentley should he emerge victorious on November 7.
Bentley himself hinted at this possibility, stating, “I think me and Aaron, the winner of that will be the No 1 in the division. 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 looking at their past performances and what they’ve done in the past and using that to make them No 1. We can put the middleweight division back on the map.” Fans eager to witness the action can tune in to Sky Sports on November 7 for live coverage of Bentley versus Mosley Jr. The event also offers a chance to see a host of other rising talents and seasoned veterans compete on a single night, making ZUFFA BOXING 12 one of the most anticipated boxing cards of the year.
Tickets remain available via Ticketmaster, and the promotion promises additional details in the weeks leading up to the fight, ensuring that the buzz surrounding the event continues to build.