Denzel Bentley Stripped of WBO Middleweight Title After Losing Appeal

102 days, zero defenses, one belt gone. Denzel Bentley is no longer the WBO middleweight champion.

The WBO Grievance Committee denied Bentley's appeal to make an interim defense against Shane Mosley Jr. instead of his mandatory against Yoenli Hernandez. On Friday he was formally stripped in a 28-page resolution, per a source cited by Dan Rafael. WBO president Gustavo Olivieri confirmed the stripping to Uncrowned.

How we got here

Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) won the interim title in April with a seventh-round TKO of Endry Saavedra. He was elevated to full champion in July when Janibek Alimkhanuly moved up to 168.

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The WBO then ordered him to face No. 1 contender Hernandez. Warriors Boxing was the lone bidder at the Sept. 29 purse bid, at $200,000. Days later, Bentley signed with Zuffa Boxing. The appeal was denied Oct. 22 (The Ring), and the strip came Oct. 30.

What's next

Bentley still fights Mosley Jr. on Nov. 7 at the Copper Box Arena in London, as the co-main to Chris Billam-Smith vs. Chev Clarke on Zuffa Boxing 12.

The WBO is expected to order Hernandez (11-0, 9 KOs) to fight for the vacant title, likely against Michael Zerafa, according to Uncrowned. No fight has been ordered or dated.

The Kimster's read

Nobody's shocked. Bentley picked the Zuffa debut over a $200,000 mandatory, and the WBO did what sanctioning bodies do. The belt was the price of the move. Now he has to make Mosley Jr. look like it was worth it, and Hernandez finally gets a path to a title he's been lined up for.

More: the Oct. 22 appeal denial, Zuffa Boxing 13 in Riyadh, and Shakur's eight weeks in camp.

Bentley vs. Mosley Jr. on Nov. 7: make your pick in Boxbid's Fight Picker.