- Denzel Bentley has announced a WBO middleweight title defence against Shane Mosley Jr on November 7 at the Copper Box Arena in London, as the co-feature on Zuffa Boxing 12
- The WBO has not approved it: mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez won the purse bid at $200,000 and the sanctioning body has already knocked back similar requests from Bentley
- My call is Bentley by stoppage in the second half of the fight, but he has to survive the boardroom before he gets to the ring
Bentley vs Mosley Jr Is Announced, But Is It Real?
Right then. Denzel Bentley has told the world who he wants to fight on November 7, and the name is Shane Mosley Jr. The venue is the Copper Box Arena in London, the show is Zuffa Boxing 12, and Bentley's WBO middleweight title would be on the line. On paper it is a proper fight, a British champion at home against a name with real pedigree.
The problem is the paperwork. Bentley announced it before the WBO had signed anything off. The champion is supposed to be facing Yoenli Hernandez, the mandatory challenger who secured his shot by winning the purse bid at $200,000, and the WBO has already said no to similar requests from Bentley. Make no mistake, announcing first and asking permission later is a dangerous way to run a first defence. If the WBO decide to make an example, the belt can be stripped.
The Story So Far
We have been here before. When the mandatory order landed, Bentley wanted a different fight, and I wrote at the time that the WBO had killed the best fight in British boxing. Then it went to a purse bid, which I covered in Bentley wanted Benn or McKenna and got Hernandez. Hernandez has done everything the rulebook asks. Bentley cannot simply walk around him because the Mosley name sells better.
Who Is Shane Mosley Jr?
Mosley Jr is the son of a boxing legend and he has spent his career trying to be judged as himself. He is big, he is durable and he has been in with proper opposition, including a win over Serhii Bohachuk in Las Vegas in May on Zuffa Boxing 06. He is a solid test, not an elite one, and that matters to how I see this.
The Headliner Underneath
The top of the bill is another all-British affair: Chris Billam-Smith against Cheavon Clarke at cruiserweight. The pair boxed twice as amateurs and Clarke took both decisions, so there is a story. Billam-Smith, the former WBO cruiserweight champion, has the bigger name, but Clarke is dangerous and has shown he can come back from trouble.
The Prediction
Let's not beat around the bush. If this fight happens, Bentley wins it. He comes forward behind a solid jab, he works the body and he is levels above Mosley Jr when it comes to pressure. I fancy Bentley by stoppage somewhere between rounds seven and ten. The bigger question is whether the WBO let the fight happen at all. If I were Bentley's team I would be on the phone with them today, because Hernandez is not going away.