WBO orders Denzel Bentley to fight Yoenli Hernandez or vacate title

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 11: Denzel Bentley celebrates victory after defeating Danny Dignum during the WBO International Middleweight title fight between Denzel Bentley and Danny Dignum at York Hall on May 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images) | Getty Images Another day, another Zuffa signee losing his belt for shirking his responsibilities. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri announced that the sanctioning body has denied middleweight champion Denzel Bentley’s appeal for a voluntary defense, giving him 24 hours to commit to facing mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez. Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KO) was the beneficiary of Janibek Alimkhanuly’s failed drug test and subsequent emigration to the super middleweight division, as the move elevated the interim belt he’d claimed against Endry Saavendra in April to the real deal. That came with conditions, namely a mandated showdown with Hernandez (11-0, 9 KO) that failed to produce a a contract. Knowing full well Bentley’s intention to jump ship to Zuffa, Queensberry declined to participate in the purse bid, as did Zuffa. Hernandez’s promoters claimed victory with a minimum bid of $200,000, 75% of which would go to “2 Sharp.” Within days, Bentley announced a November 7th Zuffa debut against Shane Mosley Jr and applied for a retroactive exception. This cynical, un-championlike move will thankfully not be rewarded. Per Dan Rafael, Bentley has a signed agreement in place to fight Mosley, which is almost certainly more lucrative than a fight with Hernandez that Oliveiri confirmed would take place under the terms of the winning bid. Expect a vacant belt by the end of tomorrow. As for who’ll fight Hernandez for it, Vito Mielnicki Jr sits behind him at no. 2, followed by an otherwise-occupied Tim Tszyu, Michael Zerafa (lmao), and Fiodor Czerkaszyn. We’ll let you know as soon as an enterprising bachelor steps up.