Dirty Cash – but Denzel Bentley still wanted to take on domestic rival with two belts at stake

Battersea’s British middleweight champion Denzel Bentley has accused Felix Cash of being a “dirty fighter”.

The South Londoner faces his mandatory contender (13-0, 9 KOs) who will be risking his Commonwealth title tonight, live on BT Sport.

Bentley (14-0-1, —12 KOs) sparred with Cash a few years ago and claims things spilled over when he got fed up with Cash’s roughhouse tactics.

Bentley, 26, recalled: “We both did four rounds sparring then jumped back in with each other.

“We were going at it and he started hitting low and behind the head – all the little dirty tricks he likes to do. Then it got heated, he got upset and it turned into a little scrap but it’s in the past.

“He says I was clinging on for dear life – well we will see on Saturday. I do everything better than Felix. Is he gonna turn up with his dirty tricks? He is a dirty fighter. Everyone has seen it in his fights.

“He does it well and gets away with it a lot, but it’s not going to bother me. I reckon I am going to stop him even if he doesn’t have chinks in his armour.”

Cash, 28,  said: “Am I a dirty fighter? I am what I am. I am a very good fighter and I am going to show Denzel. I will win the fight by stoppage.”

Bentley is making his first defence of the title he won by forcing Mark Heffron to retire in November and promoter Frank Warren has suggested his man is close to moving on to to the world stage.

Warren said: “There was talk that Tony Sims (Felix’s trainer) said he was considering not taking the fight and moving on, but hats off to them.

“From a fans’ point of view it doesn’t get any better than this. The one who has the skills and wants it the most will come through. I have an opinion about the fight and that is why we got behind Denzel in the purse bids. We believe in him.

“If Denzel comes through this, as we expect him to, then he will move on and into a position where he gets a world title fight.”