Denzel Bentley's route through boxing has never been smooth. The Battersea fighter is smarting from the WBO stripping him of his hard-won middleweight world title, but has to focus on a dangerous bout with Shane Mosley Jr on Saturday, live on Sky Sports. Bentley fights Mosley Jr on the Zuffa Boxing 12 bill, headlined by Chris Billam-Smith vs Cheavon Clarke.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player The WBO required Bentley to box his mandatory challenger, Yoenli Hernandez next. It was a fight Bentley was willing to take, but he had committed to fighting Mosley Jr, which he wanted to do as a voluntary defence or even a non-title bout. "We put up a really good case and everything we mentioned was kind of ignored," Bentley told Sky Sports.
"The reasons as to why they stripped me are their reasons. "[WBC middleweight champion Carlos] Adames is able to do a non-title fight and box. "I was happy to fight Hernandez next year," he added.
"They just want to seem like they're doing justice, but they're not." The son of boxing legend Shane Mosley, Junior is coming off a tremendous stoppage victory over Serhii Bohachuk. He is also rated No 6 in the WBO's own rankings. "If this was for a world title, everyone would be like this is a good defence.
He's No 6 with the WBO, everyone knows his resume, he's fought top fighters and I'd say he deserves a title shot if I'm being honest," Bentley said. "I deserve to defend my title. I'm being criticised for my move but that's because a lot of people out there are putting out narratives to try and take a hit on Zuffa as a promotional company.
I'm just in the middle of the crossfire. "It's not [fair] but life is not fair. You've just got to take it as it is." Bentley has vowed to use all this antagonism to fuel his motivation for Saturday's fight.
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