Battersea’s Denzel Bentley regains British middleweight title and lifts vacant European belt
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk
Denzel Bentley became a three-time British middleweight champion as he outpointed defending champion Brad Pauls at Wembley Arena on Saturday night.
The 29-year-old from Battersea also won the vacant European title.
Bentley was already ranked number one by the WBO and is now mandatory challenger to Zhanibek Alimkhanuly, that governing body’s champion.
The South Londoner has already fought the Californian-based Kazakhstan fighter before. He was outpointed in Las Vegas in 2022 but earned plaudits as a late replacement against the unbeaten southpaw, who has stopped all three of his opponents since.
“That was Denzel with pure heart and grit – not Denzel with the experience of fighting on big stages and high levels,” said Bentley, when asked about another clash with Alimkhanuly.
“That loss made me better. I am a lot more composed in the ring and know what I’m doing. I don’t have massive amateur experience but I stay in the gym and grind.
“I’m the only person who has given him that type of fight and I don’t think he will be in a rush to fight me. But if he is, it will be a good one.
“I’ll get a world title shot, whether he vacates or keeps hold of the belt. I’ll enjoy Christmas and then go back to work.”
Bentley’s record stands at 21 wins, three defeats and one draw.
He has three victories on the bounce after losing his domestic crown to Nathan Heaney in Manchester at the end of 2023.
But that British title was strapped back around his waist after he won a unanimous decision over Newquay’s Pauls (19-2-1).
Bentley had the slicker skills and was very dominant in the early rounds.
Although Pauls rallied to ask more questions of the challenger, he took a knee in the 10th round after a punch appeared to thumb him in the left eye.
“I want to thank Frank (Warren, promoter) for believing in me and keep bringing me back,” said Bentley. “All of my team and my family believe in me.
“Brad is a tough guy. I said in the build-up that he wasn’t someone I was going to knock out with one punch.
“I outboxed him. I had to show levels and I did tonight.
“The whole camp we were working on that lead hand – keep popping him with the jab. It was finding a home every single time.
“I promised the fans and my family that I would get back to that world-title level and when I do, I’m going to do it right and capture it.
“Now I am the mandatory challenger and I’ve done it the right way, rather than being an opponent picked off the shelf.”
Alimkhanuly has also been in possession of the IBF world title since stopping Vincenzo Gualtieri in October 2023.
His last ring outing was a ninth-round knockout of Andrei Mikhailovich in Australia a year later.
Warren said: “Denzel has done what he had to do and he is now the mandatory challenger. He will get a world title shot in 2025, early 2025.
“It was a really good competitive fight – all credit to Brad. Now Denzel has got to go and do what he could, and should, have done in the first fight and win that world title.”
Big-punching Penge cruiserweight Aloys Youmbi moved to 9-1 (8KOs) with a third round stoppage of Lewis Oakford (6-2).
PICTURES: LEIGH DAWNEY/QUEENSBERRY PROMOTIONS