Denzel Bentley fights for the first time under the Zuffa Boxing banner on Saturday night as he takes on American Shane Mosley Jr. at the Copper Box Arena in London.
The fight serves as the co-main event for the card alongside Chris Billam Smith vs Chev Clarke.
Denzel Bentley v Shane Mosley Jr. Tips Preview
Denzel Bentley became the interim WBO middleweight world champion by stopping Endry Saavedra in April and was then elevated to full title holder, but has since been stripped of the belt without stepping into the ring.
The WBO had ordered a fight with mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez but Bentley and his promoters instead opted for a showdown with Mosley Jr.
As such, there will be no title on the line on Saturday but a win for either man would potentially set up the chance to challenge for one in their next fight.
Bentley has had an unorthodox route to the upper echelons of the sport and a defeat to Felix Cash in 2021 could have been a major setback.
The Londoner responded well with a three-fight winning streak but then fell short in his first bid to become world champion as he lost on points to Kazakh star Janibek Alimkhanuly when challenging for the WBO title.
The 31-year-old suffered his third defeat in 2023 to Nathan Heaney but then put together a three-fight winning run that culminated in a win over Brad Pauls to land British, European and WBO international honours in December of 2024.
After his unanimous points win over Pauls, Bentley spent over a year out of the ring after that victory before returning to down Saavedra, winning via seventh-round TKO, to become interim WBO champion.
His next fight should have been a first defence but instead he is taking on Mosley Jr, who has arrived at this point via a very different career path.
The American is the son of boxing hall of famer Shane Mosley and he goes into Saturday’s contest following his most impressive win.
Mosley Jr stopped Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk in the sixth round in his last contest and also has wins over former IBF world champion Daniel Jacobs and the experienced D'Mitrius Ballard on his CV, although he has suffered five defeats in his professional career.
Denzel Bentley v Shane Mosley Jr. Tale of the Tape
Denzel Bentley | Shane Mosley Jr. | |
Record: | 22-3-1 | 23-5 |
Age: | 31 | 35 |
Birthplace: | London, UK | Pomona, California, USA |
Height: | 5' 11" | 6' 0" |
Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Last Fight: | Won (TKO) Endry Saavedra (April 2026) | Won (TKO) Serhii Bohachuk (May 2026) |
KO%: | 81.82 | 56.52 |
Denzel Bentley v Shane Mosley Jr. Top Tips
Denzel Bentley was elevated to full world champion after his last win so he is a legitimate world-level fighter despite the fact he no longer has the belt. Shane Mosley Jr should provide a stern test for Bentley in his Zuffa debut, but the Londoner can get a win over the line.
Mosley Jr has fallen short when faced with elite opposition and Bentley has an opportunity to show he is in that bracket on Saturday. His victory over Saavedra ranks as the best win of his career and he won that fight in style, becoming the first man to stop the durable Venezuelan.
Bentley is potentially a little rawer technically than Mosley Jr, who is a methodical fighter with a high ring-IQ, but his power and boxer-puncher style could be the key difference here.
Mosley Jr has five defeats on his record and has never been stopped, but Bentley can make a statement by becoming the first man to engineer an early finish against the American.
Bentley found a way to dismantle Saavedra in his last bout and a similar performance could well be enough to stop Mosley Jr in London on Saturday.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
