Battersea’s Denzel Bentley loses British middleweight title – Felix Cash inflicts third-round stoppage

Denzel Bentley lost his British middleweight title as Felix Cash proved a significant gulf in class, inflicting a third-round stoppage last night at Bethnal Green’s York Hall.

The Battersea fighter, 26, was making the first defence of his domestic crown and also looked to add the Commonwealth belt.

But Cash, who already held the other title, wobbled Bentley inside the opening minute of the contest.

And the former GB amateur found it too easy to land on his opponent, whose style is to keep his hands low. There were five unanswered right hands crashed home by Cash before the referee rightly stepped in to halt a one-sided contest.

Cash said: “I stunned him in the first round, I knew it was only a matter of time before I caught him again. I just walked through him.

“He wasn’t as awkward as I thought he would be. I thought it might take me six or seven rounds. It was a bit of a statement. He was meant to be a bit of a puncher. I said I was a level above him before the fight, and I showed it in the ring.”

Bentley suffered the first loss of his 16 bout career. His record drops to 14-1-1.