Following previous negotiations that fell through, a blockbuster clash between Denzel Bentley and IBF titleholder Aaron McKenna appears increasingly likely to materialize in the coming year. The Irishman’s representative, Mike Borao, revealed to Sky Sports that “Aaron wanted to unify the titles with Bentley this year, unfortunately the request was denied by the WBO.” Nevertheless, Borao expressed confidence about their future trajectory, adding, “In any event, I believe McKenna vs Bentley is a strong possibility for next year.” Reflecting on their shared background, the British prizefighter noted, “They were up for it, I was up for it.” Elaborating further on the logic behind booking the event, he stated, “There’s a bit of history. Not animosity but a bit of history because there’s been links to it, talks about it. There was potential of it happening.”<\/p>\n
Eager to reclaim world status, Bentley is eyeing both McKenna and WBC belt holder Carlos Adames as his primary targets. The Londoner harbors no hesitations regarding crossing the Irish Sea to test himself on foreign soil, observing: “He’s a champion. When I was a champion and we were trying to make that happen, [I thought] no, I want to bring it home, I can have a bit of pulling power,” Reassessing the current dynamic, he explained: “He’s a champion. He wants it at home and I want an opportunity at his belt, what he obtained and what he wants to defend, who am I to say no? ” Confident in his abilities away from home, he vowed, “I’d happily go to Ireland, beat him in his home town and then bring it back to England and defend it in my hometown.” Emphasizing the electric atmosphere such an international rivalry would generate, he added, “He’d have the whole of Ireland behind him, I’d have part of England that’s not angry at me right now supporting me, it would just all be good. It would just make a great fight.”<\/p>\n
This ambitious push follows Bentley’s impressive performance over the weekend in the capital, where he defeated highly ranked contender Shane Mosley Jr via unanimous decision. During that Saturday encounter, the former WBO monarch floor-dropped his American opponent with a brutal punch during the second frame to cement his dominance. Bentley had previously been relieved of his WBO championship hardware after electing to fight Mosley Jr rather than immediately fulfilling his defense obligation against mandatory rival Yoenli Hernandez. Now back in the win column, the focused pugilist considers the showdown with McKenna as the ideal next step, insisting, “I think that would be the obvious one to make.” Driven by a desire for landmark moments in the ring, he concluded, “That’s what I’m about, I want to be in great fights, great, big fights.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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