Denzel Bentley reveals financial strain during layoff after WBO title loss

Denzel Bentley has described the financial pressure of a 16-month absence from boxing, revealing that he sought delivery work before becoming a world champion. In an interview published by BBC Sport on Friday, the London middleweight said a prolonged wait for a fight had depleted his savings and prompted him to look for income outside the sport.

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Bentley said a conversation with his cousin led him to register with an app offering flexible Amazon delivery work. He repeatedly checked for opportunities but found none in his area, so never took up the work. The 31-year-old told the BBC that he had initially managed without a fight purse, but the effects became harder to absorb after a year out.

The account comes after Bentley lost his WBO middleweight championship without making a defence. BoxingScene reported that the sanctioning body withdrew his recognition and declared the title vacant with effect from October 30, following his failure to meet mandatory championship obligations. Its report cited a WBO statement saying the executive committee had unanimously ratified the decision.

The dispute centred on an ordered defence against Yoenli Hernandez. According to BoxingScene, Warriors Boxing won the promotional rights with a $200,000 purse bid, of which Bentley was entitled to 75 per cent. Bentley instead signed with Zuffa Boxing and pursued a meeting with Shane Mosley Jr. His request to make a voluntary defence against Mosley rather than fulfil the mandatory obligation was rejected.

Speaking separately to Sky Sports, Bentley disputed the handling of his case and said he had been willing to meet Hernandez next year. He said he wanted the Mosley contest approved either as a voluntary defence or as a non-title fight. Those comments set out Bentley's position; they did not change the WBO ruling that removed him as champion.

Bentley won the interim WBO title against Endry Saavedra in April before being elevated to full champion in July after Janibek Alimkhanuly moved to super-middleweight. He told BBC Sport that his switch to Zuffa was about both appropriate compensation and another chance at a world championship, and said he had asked the promoter to help him pursue that goal.