Denzel Bentley

Last updated

Denzel Bentley
Born
Denzel Bentley Ntim-Mensah

(1995-01-29) 29 January 1995 (age 29)
London, England
Other names2Sharp [1]
Statistics
Weight(s) Middleweight
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm) [2]
Reach72 in (183 cm) [2]
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record [3]
Total fights25
Wins21
Wins by KO17
Losses3
Draws1

Denzel Bentley Ntim-Mensah (born 29 January 1995), [1] is an English professional boxer who has held the British middleweight title three times. He is the current champion and also holds the European and WBO International middleweight titles.

Contents

Professional career

Bentley made his professional debut on 14 October 2017, scoring a first-round knockout (KO) victory against Casey Blair at the York Hall in London. [4]

After compiling a record of 13–0 (11 KOs) he faced Mark Heffron in an eliminator for the British middleweight title on 12 September 2020 at the York Hall. Bentley scored a knockdown in the second round en route to a unanimous draw, with all three judges scoring the bout 95–95. [5]

The pair fought in a rematch two months later on 13 November at the BT Sport Studio in London, with the vacant British middleweight title on the line. Bentley landed a right hand in the second round, causing damage to Heffron's left eye. Bentley began to target Heffron's damaged eye over the next two rounds. At the end of the fourth, Heffron's eye was swollen shut, forcing his trainer to pull Heffron out of the fight, handing Bentley a fourth-round stoppage victory via corner retirement (RTD) to capture the British title. [6] [7]

His first loss occurred on 24 April 2021 against the Commonwealth middleweight champion Felix Cash, by third round technical knockout. [8] On 18 November 2023, Bentley lost his British title to Nathan Heaney by majority decision at Manchester Arena. [9] [10]

Bentley won the vacant WBO International middleweight title with a second round stoppage of Danny Dignum at York Hall on 11 May 2024. [11] [12]

At the same venue, he successfully defended his belt thanks to another second round stoppage on 17 August 2024, this time against Derrick Osaze. [13] [14]

Bentley became a three-time British middleweight champion, as well as claiming the vacant European title, with a unanimous decision win over Brad Pauls at Wembley Arena in London on 7 December 2024. [15] [16] [17]

Professional boxing record

25 fights21 wins3 losses
By knockout171
By decision42
Draws1
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
25Win21-3-1Brad PaulsUD127 Dec 2024Wembley Arena, London, EnglandWon the British middleweight title, won the vacant European middleweight title and retained the WBO International Middleweight title,
24Win20-3-1Derrick OsazeTKO2 (10)

2:27

17 Aug 2024York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, EnglandRetained WBO International Middleweight Title
23Win19–3–1 Danny Dignum TKO2 (12)

2:53

11 May 2024York Hall, Bethnal Green, London, EnglandWon vacant WBO international middleweight title
22Loss18-3-1Nathan HeaneyMD1211 Nov 2023 Manchester Arena, Manchester, EnglandLost British middleweight title
21Win18–2–1Kieran SmithKO1 (12) 0:45 15 Apr 2023 Copper Box Arena, London, EnglandRetained British middleweight title
20Loss17–2–1 Janibek Alimkhanuly UD1212 Nov 2022Palms Resort Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USFor WBO middleweight title
19Win17–1–1Marcus MorrisonTKO4 (12)

2:00

16 Sept 2022York Hall, London, EnglandRetained British middleweight title
18Win16–1–1Linus UdofiaSD1213 May 2022Indigo at The O2, Greenwich, London, EnglandWon vacant British middleweight title
17Win15–1–1Sam EvansTKO3 (10) 2:316 Nov 2021 Utilita Arena, Birmingham, England
16Loss14–1–1 Felix Cash TKO3 (12) 1:2424 Apr 2021York Hall, London, EnglandLost British middleweight title;
For Commonwealth middleweight title
15Win14–0–1 Mark Heffron RTD4 (12), 3:0013 Nov 2020BT Sport Studio, London, EnglandWon vacant British middleweight title
14Draw13–0–1 Mark Heffron UD1012 Sep 2020York Hall, London, England
13Win13–0Mick HallRTD6 (10), 3:0025 Jul 2020BT Sport Studio, London, England
12Win12–0Adam GrabiecTKO2 (8), 1:3521 Dec 2019 Copper Box Arena, London, England
11Win11–0Kelcie BallTKO1 (6), 1:1227 Sep 2019Royal Albert Hall, London, England
10Win10–0Pavol GarajPTS627 Apr 2019 The SSE Arena, London, England
9Win9–0Julio CesarTKO2 (4), 1:428 Mar 2019 Royal Albert Hall, London, England
8Win8–0Emmanuel MoussingaTKO1 (8), 2:077 Dec 2018Hilton Hotel, London, England
7Win7–0Serge AmbomoTKO2 (6), 1:5519 Nov 2018Hilton Hotel, London, England
6Win6–0Daniel UrbanskiKO1 (6), 1:1129 Sep 2018York Hall, London, England
5Win5–0Christian GomezPTS614 Jul 2018York Hall, London, England
4Win4–0Martin KabrhelTKO2 (4)9 Jun 2018 Alexandra Palace, London, England
3Win3–0Ashley DumetzKO1 (6), 1:2810 Mar 2018Camden Centre, London, England
2Win2–0Sam OmidiTKO1 (4), 0:448 Dec 2017 Hilton Hotel, London, England
1Win1–0Casey BlairKO1 (4), 0:4414 Oct 2017 York Hall, London, England

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References

  1. 1 2 "Denzel Bentley | Fighter Profile". FrankWarren.com. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 Rickson, Tim (12 November 2020). "Mark Heffron vs Denzel Bentley fight time, date, TV channel, undercard, schedule, venue, betting odds and live stream details". www.britishboxingnews.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  3. "Boxing record for Denzel Bentley". BoxRec .
  4. "BoxRec: Denzel Bentley vs. Casey Blair". BoxRec . Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. Lewis, Ron (12 September 2020). "Mark Heffron, Denzel Bentley Battle To Unanimous Draw". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  6. Dixon, Tris (13 November 2020). "Denzel Bentley stops Mark Heffron after four rounds to win British middleweight title". The Ring . Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  7. Lewis, Ron (13 November 2020). "Denzel Bentley Stops Mark Heffron in Four, Tommy Fury Wins". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  8. "Denzel Bentley vs. Felix Cash British Title Clash Set For April 24". BoxingScene.com. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  9. "Nathan Heaney gets huge win over Denzel Bentley to claim British middleweight championship, Nick Ball beats Isaac Dogboe". TNT Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  10. "Fairytale in Manchester: Nathan Heaney does everything right to upset Denzel Bentley". Boxing News Online. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  11. "Denzel Bentley Closes the Show by Stopping Danny Dignum at York Hall". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  12. "Denzel Bentley makes statement with stoppage of Danny Dignum to secure WBO international middleweight belt". TNT Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  13. "Denzel Bentley picks wondrous right uppercut to stop Derrick Osaze". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  14. "Denzel Bentley defends WBO International middleweight title with stunning KO of Derrick Osaze". TNT Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  15. "Denzel Bentley nears Zhanibek Alimkhanuly rematch after thrilling win over Brad Pauls". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  16. "Denzel Bentley beats Brad Pauls in middleweight title thriller". ESPN. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  17. "Magnificent 7 Boxing: Bentley defeats Pauls in middleweight title thriller at OVO Arena Wembley". TNT Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Liam Williams
British middleweight champion
13 November 2020 – 24 April 2021
Succeeded by