Denzel Bentley Stripped of WBO Middleweight Title After Mandatory Dispute

Denzel Bentley’s brief reign as WBO middleweight champion is officially over. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri confirmed Friday that Bentley has been stripped after the British fighter chose to proceed with his November 7 Zuffa Boxing bout against Shane Mosley Jr. rather than face mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez. Bentley had appealed the WBO’s order, but the organization denied that appeal on October 22 and formally removed him from the championship Friday.

Bentley, 22-3-1 with 18 knockouts, won the interim belt by stopping Endry Saavedra in April and was elevated to full champion in July. His reign ends after 102 days without a title defense. The dispute intensified after Warriors Boxing won the Bentley-Hernandez purse bid for $200,000, while Bentley had already committed to a more commercially attractive Zuffa Boxing debut against Mosley at London’s Copper Box Arena.

The decision now creates a vacant WBO title and puts unbeaten Cuban contender Hernandez, 11-0 with nine knockouts, at the front of the championship picture. The WBO has not formally announced his opponent, though Vito Mielnicki Jr., Tim Tszyu and Michael Zerafa are among the ranked contenders being discussed. Bentley-Mosley remains scheduled for November 7, but it will move forward without Bentley’s WBO championship attached.