Denzel Bentley put himself within reach of a world title shot after becoming a three-time British middleweight champion with a unanimous points win over Brad Pauls on Saturday.
Bentley earned scores of 117-110, 116-11 and 115-112 after dropping Pauls in Round 10 of an entertaining fight at the OVO Arena Wembley in London.
Bentley (20-3-1, 17 KOs), 29, from Battersea in south London, also won the vacant European title after containing Pauls’ resurgence in the middle rounds to maintain his status as the WBO’s No. 1 challenger for Janibek Alimkhanuly (16-0, 11 KOs), 31, from Kazakhstan but based in California.
IBF and WBO world champion Alimkhanuly, who is ESPN’s top-ranked middleweight, unanimously outpointed Bentley two years ago and Bentley’s win over Pauls sets up a possible rematch in 2025.
“Brad is a tough guy but I think I outboxed him,” Bentley said. “I was working on the jab and it found a home every time I landed it, it was death by a thousand jabs.
“I got that opportunity at the last minute, to fight in Las Vegas for a world title, but I promise everyone I will get back to that level.”
Pauls (19-1-1, 11 KOs), 31, from Newquay in Cornwall, clawed his way back into the fight and it seemed close when Bentley scored a knockdown in Round 10. Pauls got up but Bentley’s jab and smooth movement kept him in control.
Pauls is the first boxer from his native Cornwall in the southwest of England to hold a British title since Len Harvey (1938-1942, light heavyweight) and he vowed to box on after suffering defeat in a first defence of the British belt.
“Denzel has lost and come back again and I can do the same,” Pauls said.
Bentley was more confident in Round 1 and in Round 2 landed a good, counter right hand as Pauls missed the target with attempts at big overhand right hands.
Pauls, who floored Nathan Heaney twice on his way to a 12th round stoppage win for the British belt in July, could not get close enough to land punches with any impact in the early rounds.
But Pauls exploded into life in Round 5, when he increased the pace and got beyond Bentley’s jab to land combinations and a big right hook.
Pauls seemed more energised and had more success again in Round 6 as Bentley tried to contain him with his jab.
Bentley’s movement was better in Round 7 as he darted in and out of range to land shots, but Pauls had the higher work rate.
Just when Pauls seemed to be taking command, Bentley launched an ambush early in Round 10 that unsettled Pauls, who then came firing back later in the round with an uppercut of his own.
In the best round of the fight, Bentley then dropped Pauls to his knees after landing two stinging jabs that left Pauls grimacing with his left eye shut. Pauls got up at eight blinking and managed to survive the rest of the round.
Round 11 was another thrilling three minutes as Pauls bravely rallied and went on the attack, but it was Bentley who was consistently more accurate.
It left Pauls needing a KO finish, but he could not repeat his final round stoppage of Heaney as Bentley smoothly boxed his way to victory.
Also on the bill, former WBO world cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie (21-1, 16 KOs) breezed to a first-round knockout win over Hussein Muhamed (18-1, 14 KOs) on his heavyweight debut.
Okolie, from Hackney in east London, sent Muhamed (18-2, 14 KOs) to the canvas with a right hand before the stoppage in an impressive introduction to the heavyweight division. Okolie weighed in at a career heavy 260 pounds, 60 pounds more than the cruiserweight limit he last made 18 months ago when he lost his world title in a third defence to Chris Billam-Smith.
Sam Noakes (15-0, 14 KOs) had a more competitive fight as he was taken the distance in a defence of his British lightweight title against Ryan Walsh. Noakes, 27, from Maidstone, won by lopsided scores of 119-109, 120-108 and 120-108 over Walsh, 38, and remains in a good position for a world title shot in 2025. Noakes is ranked No. 3 challenger for WBO world lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk, from Ukraine.