Denzel Bentley vs. Yoenli Hernandez | WBO Mandatory - Who wins?

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WBO will make Yoenli Hernandez mandatory contender to Denzel Bentley

Unbeaten Cuban middleweight Yoenli Hernandez will be granted his appeal to become the mandatory challenger and next opponent for new WBO middleweight champion Denzel Bentley of England, Boxing Scene learned Tuesday.

Hernandez, 11-0 (9 KOs), coming off a hard-fought August 22 majority-decision scrap against Argentina’s Francisco Daniel Veron in Las Vegas, petitioned as the No. 1 contender in a filing sent in by advisor Luis DeCubas Snr and promoter Premier Boxing Champions.

Although London’s Bentley, 22-3-1 (18 KOs), sought a voluntary defense after winning the vacant belt April 4 with a seventh-round TKO of Endry Saavedra in London, the WBO will send him to Hernandez.

The mandatory assignment was long overdue with former unified champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, and that responsibility remains connected to the belt – new champion or not – an official familiar with the rules explained.

Hernandez is also the No. 1-ranked contender by the WBA, but countryman champion Erislandy Lara – who also fights for PBC – prefers not to fight Hernandez.

For now, no negotiating or fight-date deadlines have been set by the WBO.

[MPW]

I think this possible WBO title bout has the potential to be a very good one. It would be a match up between a pair of top notch MWs, and the winner would have a legit claim at the top spot in the weight class.

Sure, Bentley has some blips - three losses and a draw - on his record (however, those four fighters had a combined record of 67-1 when he fought them), and he has proven to be a tough and talented fighter. I also realize that some people may have soured slightly on Hernandez after his majority decision against Veron (although I can't figure out how one judge scored this fight a draw), but I still think he's one of the top five MW in the world.

[Taansend]

I hope Denz smashes him & sends a statement.

[margaret thatcher]

the winner would have a legit claim at the top spot in the weight class.

wow mw has gone to sh!t then

[Taansend]

the winner would have a legit claim at the top spot in the weight class.

wow mw has gone to sh!t then

Ramos might be the best.

[giacomino]

the winner would have a legit claim at the top spot in the weight class.

wow mw has gone to sh!t then

It's been sh$t for a while. Ever since old man Lara beat a guy named "Cornflake" to win one of the alphabet belts. And he's now rated #1 per boxrec. Pitiful

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Hernandez Wins the Fight Before the Fight Against Bentley

Key points:

- The WBO is set to grant Yoenli Hernandez’s appeal for immediate enforcement of his mandatory title shot against Denzel Bentley
- Bentley had been promised one voluntary defence before facing Hernandez, but that promise traces back to a prior champion’s reign
- No purse bid, negotiating period, or fight date has been set yet
- The winner joins Carlos Adames and Erislandy Lara as central figures in a reshaped middleweight division

Denzel Bentley’s plan for a profitable voluntary defence appears to have collapsed after Yoenli Hernandez successfully appealed for immediate enforcement of his WBO mandatory title opportunity.

Lance Pugmire of Boxing Scene reports the WBO will grant the petition filed by Hernandez’s adviser, Luis DeCubas Sr., and Premier Boxing Champions. Bentley, elevated to full champion in July after Janibek Alimkhanuly vacated the title to move up in weight, had been publicly promised one voluntary defence first by WBO president Gustavo Olivieri on August 23. Hernandez’s appeal argues that promise doesn’t erase a mandatory obligation dating back to Janibek’s original reign, and the WBO appears to agree.

Bentley has real commercial incentive to resist. Hernandez carries little name recognition among British audiences compared to domestic options like Liam Smith or Chris Eubank Jr., fights that would generate considerably more money without forcing Bentley to travel.

Promotional control adds another layer of friction: Bentley fights under allegedly and Queensberry, while Hernandez is aligned with PBC, meaning a purse bid becomes likely unless the two sides can privately agree on terms. No negotiating period or fight date has been set, and Bentley’s voluntary defence isn’t officially dead until the WBO issues a written ruling, but Hernandez has clearly won the argument that matters most.

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BENTLEY-YOENLI ORDERED BY WBO

The WBO has now officially ordered Denzel Bentley to defend his middleweight title against his mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez next.

Bentley had been in talks to unify against IBF champion Aaron McKenna next but the WBO will not allow an exemption for that fight. (@DanRafael1)

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[Ruthless-RKO]

WBO establishes Yoenli Hernandez as middleweight mandatory to Denzel Bentley

The WBO championship committee Friday confirmed Cuba’s Yoenli Hernandez as the mandatory contender to their new middleweight champion Denzel Bentley of England.

Rejecting numerous requests and objections by Bentley’s team, the WBO decision was reportedly rooted in the fact that the sanctioning body’s middleweight mandatory defense was more than two years’ overdue – regardless of Bentley, 22-3-1 (18 KOs), gaining the belt this year.

Bentley, the WBO ruled, will have to set aside both his potential plans for a voluntary defense or a unification bout against new IBF middleweight champion Aaron McKenna and meet Hernandez if he intends to keep the belt.

Hernandez, 11-0 (9 KOs), is coming off an August 22 unanimous-decision victory over Argentina’s Francisco Daniel Veron in what stood as his most difficult bout yet.

In a letter to the WBO, Bentley manager Martin Bowers contended the so-called nine-month clock on his fighter’s mandatory obligation should’ve started with his elevation to full champion following an April interim title victory over Endry Saavedra in London.

Hernandez was designated mandatory challenger in July. He also is the No. 1 contender to WBA champion Erislandy Lara, a countryman and Premier Boxing Champions stablemate.

Empowered by that ranking, Hernandez’s team petitioned formally to have the mandatory enforced, which the committee granted.

Bentley was preceded as champion by Janibek Alimkhanuly, who was suspended for one year by the WBO over an anti-doping issue.

The WBO ruling is based on its consideration to protect the rights of its contenders while also tending to protections for champions, a sanctioning body official said Friday.

The sides have 20 days to negotiate and reach an agreement.

Either side can request a purse bid during this period, and the minimum bid is $200,000.

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WBO ORDERS BENTLEY-HERNANDEZ, MCKENNA UNIFICATION BLOCKED

The WBO is putting its foot down.

The sanctioning body has ordered Denzel Bentley, its middleweight champion, to face No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez.

As first reported by The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, Bentley and IBF champion Aaron McKenna had a deal in place for a unification bout that was set to take place later this year. However, the sanctioning body confirmed to The Ring that Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) must face Hernandez (11-0, 9 KOs) first. The winner of their bout is free to face any champion they choose on any platform and any promotion, including Zuffa Boxing.

“The mandatory was long overdue,” Gustavo Olivieri President of the WBO told The Ring. “When Bentley was elevated to champion (in late July), Hernandez was designated mandatory. Bentley inherited the mandatory obligations of the division. Hernandez petitioned the enforcement and the committee reviewed the division’s activity and pending mandatory, thus ordering its enforcement. A determination was made prior to the proposed unification agreement.”

Both Bentley and Hernandez have 20 days to reach an agreement or a purse bid will be called. They also have 10 days to confirm in writing to the sanctioning body that they are ready, willing, and able to fight each other.

For Bentley, his middleweight reign began following a seventh-round stoppage win over Endry Saavedra for the interim title on April 4. Janibek Alimkhanuly, who held the full title but was suspended due to a positive PED test, moved up in weight, and Bentley was elevated.

Hernandez, a 29-year-old Cuban, now gets his shot at a world title. The Ring’s No. 2-ranked 160-pounder was last seen against Francisco Vernon on August 22. He eked out a close majority decision.

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WBO 160-pound champ Bentley eyeing November return

WBO middleweight champion Denzel Bentley is targeting a November return after admitting the initial stages of his world title reign have been “underwhelming."

The 31-year-old beat Endry Saavedra to claim the interim belt in April before was then upgraded to his position as full champion three months later.

But, as is often the case for boxers who do not win their first world title in the ring, Bentley says the achievement was not as fulfilling as he expected.

“I’ll be honest with you, I was driving back from a meeting with allegedly when my manager phoned me asking if I’d checked my emails,” Bentley tells The Ring.

“I hadn’t so he told me to pull over and have a look. I quickly parked up, loaded up my emails and just like that I was world champion. Fair enough.”

That particular email meant that Londoner Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) had realized the dream which was first ignited when he stepped in the gym as a teenager. The only problem was, it didn’t quite feel like it.

“Of course it’s a great achievement and it’s the very pinnacle of the sport,” he added. “But when you get to that stage it’s underwhelming. I’m thinking ‘is that it?'

“I’ve worked my whole career to get to this point and I always felt like once you achieve it, the world is yours. But you get there and realize, I’ve got the world title but there is still more work to do.

“I don’t know, maybe once I have a defense and start moving forward again I’ll appreciate it more but as of now, I’m just living my life as I did before I was champion.

“Maybe it’s because I didn’t have that moment in the ring that it feels different. I saw it that the day I beat Saavedra I won the world title, but in reality that’s not what happened.”

Instead, Bentley had to make do with an interim title as the WBO decided what to do with their champion at the time, Janibek Alimkhanuly, who was serving a year-long suspension for testing positive for banned performance-enhancing drug meldonium.

The Kazakh had already been stripped of his IBF title but the WBO inexplicably decided to keep him as champion despite the suspension. Then, in July, it was confirmed that Alimkhanyly had relinquished the title which meant elevation for Bentley.

The new champion hoped to arrange an immediate unification with Ireland’s Aaron McKenna, who won that vacant IBF title via a decision victory over Etinosa Oliha on August 8. However, the WBO have since ordered Bentley to defend his title against mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez (11-0, 9 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2-rated middleweight.

“We’re still working on certain things,” Bentley said of his next outing. “I’m hoping to be out in November time but the latest would be December. I’m hoping that all works out.”

On a potential unification with McKenna, he added: “Whether that happens next or not, I don’t think so now, but I think at some point, especially next year, it can definitely happen. If he wants to clean up the division like he says he does then I have to be a fight for him.

“But now, being world champion, I need it to open more doors for me to just build my profile and take me onto bigger and better things, get those unifications and become a household name.”

[giacomino]

I know nothing about Hernandez or if he deserves his ranking, but when you’re given a shot at a vacant interim alphabet belt against a nobody like Bentley was and win, then you get elevated to full alphabet belt holder, it seems like you should have to fight a mandatory. Although I’d rather see him fight another alphabet beltholder, but the middleweight division is so poor I’m not sure who would be an interesting matchup

[MPW]

I know nothing about Hernandez or if he deserves his ranking, but when you’re given a shot at a vacant interim alphabet belt against a nobody like Bentley was and win, then you get elevated to full alphabet belt holder, it seems like you should have to fight a mandatory. Although I’d rather see him fight another alphabet beltholder, but the middleweight division is so poor I’m not sure who would be an interesting matchup

To me, the interesting thing about MW right now is that there are a number of decent fighters around the top of the rankings, but none of these boxers would be considered - in my opinion, anyway - great or even potentially great fighters, much less elite.

[giacomino]

I know nothing about Hernandez or if he deserves his ranking, but when you’re given a shot at a vacant interim alphabet belt against a nobody like Bentley was and win, then you get elevated to full alphabet belt holder, it seems like you should have to fight a mandatory. Although I’d rather see him fight another alphabet beltholder, but the middleweight division is so poor I’m not sure who would be an interesting matchup

To me, the interesting thing about MW right now is that there are a number of decent fighters around the top of the rankings, but none of these boxers would be considered - in my opinion, anyway - great or even potentially great fighters, much less elite.

Agree. Most of the top 10 wouldn’t get a title shot in most eras of middleweight history. Same with most of the belt holders

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BENTLEY SAYS WBO DECISION TO MANDATE HERNANDEZ FIGHT IS 'MENTAL'

Denzel Bentley has described Yoenli Hernandez’s mandatory challenger status as “mental” and warned the Cuban his amateur success means nothing in the pro game.

Hernandez (11-0, 9 KOs) was installed as mandatory challenger for WBO middleweight champion Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) earlier this month and the two sides are currently in talks about a clash before the end of the year.

But Bentley, who was elevated from interim champion in the summer, was surprised that a man with such limited professional experience has been granted a crack at the world title already.

“It’s mental how he’s mandatory when he’s never had a 12-rounder,” Bentley told The Ring. “In fact, he’s never fought an eliminator and has only had 11 fights. It sometimes happens with the Cubans, they seem to get this reputation before they've really done anything, then they're in these big fights.”

Hernandez, who is The Ring's No. 2-rated 160-pounder, is said to have had around 300 bouts as an amateur and hung up his Cuba vest after winning back-to-back World Championships as a 75kg middleweight.

He made his professional debut in May 2022 but has managed just more 10 outings in the paid code and is yet to put a foot wrong. The 29-year-old, nicknamed “El Diablo," has been tipped by many to be a future star of the middleweight division.

Bentley, however, is not convinced, pointing out that Cuban amateur standouts like Andy Cruz and David Morrell were both similarly rated before coming unstuck early on in the pros.

“These Cubans, they live and breathe boxing,” he added. “We know the kind of stature they have as a nation as amateur fighters, but how many of them turn out to be great professional fighters? Not many.

They live their life in that system, they box there, and they're fully equipped. Their style is accustomed to that amateur kind of boxing, and then they get moved forward quickly if they turn professional. Look at Andy Cruz. He got fast-tracked but then he falls short for a world title against Raymond Muratalla. It's a different sport, it's a different game.”

Cruz is considered one of the greatest Cuban amateurs ever, having won three World Championships and Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020. He won his first six fights as a professional but then dropped a decision to Muratalla (25-0, 17 KOs) when they fought for the IBF lightweight title in January.

Then, four months later, Cuban ace Morrell, who was positioning himself for a second world title attempt, was beaten by the unheralded Zak Chelli in one of the upsets of the year.

Bentley, 31, added: “All the movement and the way they box so explosively and burn energy isn't sufficient for the later rounds. So you might get a good four, five or six rounds from them but if they can't sustain that kind of style then they start falling behind.

“They're great amateur boxers and they achieve everything in the amateurs but how many of them become world champions or household names in the professional ranks? That's why they have to do everything early. In the amateurs, you box to be cute, and you box to look good and flashy and stuff. In the professionals, we're boxing to hurt.

"Just look at Zak Chelli. He's nowhere near David Morrell's technical level, but he had other things like physicality, heart and a big punch. So he just didn't quit. He kept going and ended up knocking him out.”

Despite not being convinced of Hernandez’s credentials as a mandatory challenger, Bentley knows he must face him next or vacate his belt.

The Londoner had hoped to face IBF champion Aaron McKenna in a world title unification or even someone like Conor Benn in a money-spinning voluntary but the WBO have now confirmed that it is Hernandez or relinquish for Bentley.

“Our teams are communicating right now," he said.
“I don't know how it will turn out, if I'm being honest. If they can get something done, they get something done. If not, then, obviously, the WBO will force the purse bids. It can only go one or two ways from here.”

[MPW]

If Bentley believes he is levels above Hernandez, why is he seemingly balking at taking the fight? Just prove in the ring that the Cuban is an unworthy challenger and get the mandatory defense out of the way.

Sure, a unification bout with McKenna would be an interesting contrast in styles and potentially a good fight, but Benn, after getting obliterated by Garcia at WW, deserves no mention of being considered for a MW title defense, voluntary or otherwise.

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WBO Schedules Bentley-Hernandez Purse Bid For September 29

Denzel Bentley and Yoenli Hernandez will find out next week how much their middleweight title fight is worth on the open market.

The WBO announced Tuesday night on social media that it has scheduled a purse bid to secure the right to promote their 12-round, 160-pound championship match for September 29. The minimum bid is $200,000.

This purse bid was scheduled because representatives for England’s Bentley and the Cuban-born, United States-based Hernandez were unable to reach an agreement during their voluntary negotiating period.

Hernandez (11-0, 9 KOs), ranked No. 1 among the WBO’s middleweight contenders, was named Bentley’s mandatory challenger early in September. Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) vehemently disagreed with the WBO’s order in part due to Hernandez’s inexperience and that the hard-hitting contender has yet to be scheduled in a 12-round fight, let alone won a WBO elimination match.

The heavily hyped Hernandez repeatedly told The Ring that becoming a mandatory challenger would be his only path to a title shot because he doesn’t think middleweight title-holders would willingly fight him.

Hernandez, 29, is ranked No. 2 among The Ring’s contenders for a vacant championship.

Only WBC champ Carlos Adames (25-1-1, 18 KOs) is ranked ahead of him. Bentley is not rated in The Ring’s top 10 in the 160-pound division.

Bentley, 31, won the then-unclaimed WBO interim title when he stopped Venezuela’s Endry Saavedra (17-2-1, 14 KOs) in the seventh round of their April 4 fight at O2 Arena in London. The WBO elevated Bentley to the status of full champion in July, when former IBF/WBO middleweight champ Janibek Alimkhanuly informed the Puerto Rico-based sanctioning organization that he would move up to the super middleweight division for his next fight.

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WBO orders Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Jacob Bank, Denzel Bentley vs Yoenli Hernandez purse bid

The WBO has laid out the next steps for its middleweight and super middleweight titles

The WBA isn’t the only sanctioning body sending out orders today, as the WBO has put forth decrees regarding their super middleweight and middleweight titles.

With 168-pound beltholder Hamzah Sheeraz ditching his hardware in the face of a looming showdown with former middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KO) and no. 2 Diego Pacheco busying himself with further marination against Darius Fulghum, “Qazaq Style” has 15 days to negotiate with no. 3 Jacob Bank (20-0, 11 KO) for the vacant belt instead. No complaints here; Bank probably should have gotten a shot already, as he held a WBO trinket for a good while and sports a knockout win over William Scull, a knockout of
Paulinus Ndjolonimu, and a shutout UD over Pawel Augustynik this year alone.

Eight pounds south, newly upgraded champ Denzel Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KO) and mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez (11-0, 9 KO) are headed to a purse bid next week. Bentley is 4-0 with three finishes since an upset loss to Nathan Heaney, the biggest and most recent a seventh-round stoppage of Endry Saavedra for a subsequently upgraded interim title in April. Hernandez, looking to follow in the footsteps of countryman Osleys Iglesias, beat Francisco Veron last month in a solid win that did demonstrate some potential vulnerability that a puncher of Bentley’s caliber could exploit.

Two good fights if they go through. Here’s hoping.

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[magnus]

Unless he's committed by contract to Queensbury I can see Bentley swerving this, dropping the title and off to Zuffa (Sheeraz style).

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WARRIORS BOXING WINS BENTLEY-YOENLI PURSE BID

Warriors Boxing, as the lone bidder, has won the purse bids for the WBO middleweight title fight between defending champion Denzel Bentley and mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez. They bid the minimum $200,000.

Potential dates: 12/19 Dec. Potential sites: Phoenix, Orlando or Las Vegas.

[Old bones Ian]

Might come out with £45000 if he's lucky , but what's the alternative?
Bentley is 31 years old and a member of the who needs him club if he isn't holding a title, so if he doesn't go for this fight I can't see him earning more in the next year

[Ruthless-RKO]

Yh I’d take the mandatory fight. And the. Hope for a big name or big undercard.. or even unification.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Warriors Boxing wins Bentley-Hernandez purse bid

Denzel Bentley will have to decide whether the risk is worth the reward.

On Tuesday, Warriors Boxing won the purse bids to stage a fight between WBO middleweight champion Bentley and No. 1 contender Yoenli Hernandez. The winning bid was the minimum $200,000, which Bentley is entitled to 75% of ($150,000).

Hernandez would receive the remaining 25%, totaling $50,000. There were no other bidders. The potential dates for their bout would be December 12 and December 19. There are three sites in the running to host their showdown: Phoenix, Arizona, Orlando, Florida, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 31-year-old from London, England, was initially hoping that he’d be facing IBF titlist Aaron McKenna in a two-belt unification, as reported by The Ring's Mike Coppinger. However, the WBO nixed those plans by mandating Bentley-Hernandez.

Bentley was elevated from interim champion, a status he claimed after stopping Endry Saavedra in April, to full champion after former WBO titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly moved up in weight.

There is every possibility that Bentley vacates his title in order to pursue a clash with McKenna on a Zuffa Boxing show, in which case Hernandez would face the next available contender for the vacant title.

Hernandez, 29, was victorious in his last outing as he picked up a majority decision over Francisco Veron August 22 in Las Vegas.