Denzel Bentley v Nathan Heaney: Tale of the Tape

We analyse the credentials and statistics of Denzel Bentley and Nathan Heaney as the pair get set to contest a hotly-anticipated British middleweight title bout this weekend.

After a credible showing against number one middleweight Zhanibek Alimkhanuly the career of Denzel Bentley received a significant boost.

Taking the Kazakh, the distance in November 2022 would have been the perfect platform for Bentley to continue mixing with top rated contenders. 

Instead, the 28-year-old was fed Kieran Smith for his first fight back in April which resulted in the Scot being starched in one round.

With rumours of a fight against Queensberry Promotions stablemate Hamzah Sheeraz bubbling away Bentley finds himself at British level once again on November 18th. 

This time the popular ticket seller and former PE teacher Nathan Heaney faces Bentley, and will look to complete an unlikely success story by becoming British middleweight champion.

But who will win? 

Let’s look at the Tale of the Tape...
 

Denzel Bentley v Nathan Heaney
Tale of the Tape

	Denzel Bentley	Nathan Heaney
Odds:	1/8	9/2
Age:	28	34
Nickname:	'2 Sharp'	'Hitman'
Height:	5ft 11ins	6ft 1ins
Reach:	72ins	74ins
Weight:	Middleweight	Middleweight
Trainer:	Raymond Bull	Steve Woodvine
Record:	18-2-1 (15 KO's)	17-0 (6 KO's)
Last Fight:	Won - (KO 1) v Kieran Smith (April 2023)	Won - (UD) v Jack Flatley (March 2023)

Denzel Bentley
In Profile

Denzel Bentley does not want to be remembered for taking Zhanibek Alimkhanuly 12 rounds.

The Londoner, a proud representative of his Ghanian roots, wants to prove himself again on the world scene but the anchor that is the British middleweight title is beginning to weigh him down.

Becoming a two-time winner of the Lonsdale belt after beating Linus Udofia in a domestic classic last year was the final part in rebuilding a career which suffered a knock when Felix Cash bashed him up over two years ago.

Bentley is a maturing fighter and an improving one that is now beyond British level. 

A fight against Hamzah Sheeraz can be delivered with a twist in the shape of a world title eliminator, but for now Denzel Bentley needs to prove he is ‘2 Sharp’ for the challengers looking to dethrone him. 

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Engine	Hands too low
Combination punching	Too much machismo against lower-level opponents
Uppercuts	Leaves himself open during exchanges
An improving fighter	Tendency to launch attacks from too far back

Nathan Heaney
In Profile

The dream of fighting for the British title at Stoke City FC’s Bet365 stadium is on the backburner for Nathan Heaney.

With a fan base in its thousands who support him heavily wherever he goes Heaney would love nothing more than to repay them with something special.

Heaney has often been seen as a ticket seller more than a genuine challenger to the leaders of Britian’s middleweight class. 

Against Denzel Bentley he gets the chance he has been waiting for and on November 18 the Manchester Arena will be Stoke’s for however long Heaney can hang with the champ.

Heaney’s record lacks the substance of Bentley’s but sooner or later the 34-year-old needs to find out what level he is really at. 

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Defence	Defence
Grit	Upright
Pressure fighter	Fights with heart not head
Volume puncher	Tries too hard to entertain

All odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.