Denzel Bentley became a two time British middleweight champion as he defeated the previously unbeaten Linus Udofia in a thrilling bout that was the curtain raiser of Wasserman Boxing's venture on Channel 5, at the Indigo at the O2.
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Udofia and Bentley got up close and personal early on, as Bentley was looking to land the big punches, as Udofia measured his range and worked well with his jab.
Udofia found success in the early rounds, as he was tagging Bentley often, but Bentley marched Udofia down and began to turn the tide in the mid point as the pair would trade.
WOW ???? #UdofiaBentley bringing the fireworks ????
Catch the action on @channel5_tv NOW ????@sauerlandbros | @WilliamHillpic.twitter.com/CehZBvZOxl
— Wasserman Boxing (@WassermanBoxing) May 13, 2022
The middle rounds saw Bentley's power make dents in Udofia's armour, as the heavy shots were visibly having an effect on Udofia. In round eight, Bentley landed a big shot which seen Udofia's knee touch the canvas, however the referee missed this so it was controversially not ruled as a knockdown.
A HUGE end to round 8 for @2Sharp_d! #UdofiaBentleypic.twitter.com/yiuceywpWU
— Channel 5 Sport (@Channel5Sport) May 13, 2022
Bentley seemed to have emptied the tank as Udofia found sucess in round ten. But, Bentley responded well with a strong 11th, leaving many to believe that it would all be decided in the final round.
The final round saw Udofia come out and looked to box and move as Bentley marched him down, the last 30 seconds seen the pair exchange hooks, followed by a respectful embrace at the final bell. Following a lengthy amount of time, it was confirmed as a split decision, the scorecards read 116-112 & 115-113 for Bentley and 115-114 Udofia, confirming Bentley as a two time British middleweight champion.
????????@2Sharp_d becomes a two-time British Champion after winning by split decision! @WilliamHill | @SauerlandBros | @WassermanBoxing | #UdofiaBentleypic.twitter.com/lrYltWCOeM
— Channel 5 Sport (@Channel5Sport) May 13, 2022
Bentley stated: "It means a lot to get this belt back. I didn't like the way I lost it.
"That was a fight, I enjoyed that. He was a great dancing partner.
"This could have been a world stage, world title fight. So, if we push on and get to that stage, I don't mind doing it again."
"TWO TIMES!" ????????@2sharp_d gets his belt back the hard way!@WilliamHill | @SauerlandBros | @WassermanBoxing | #UdofiaBentleypic.twitter.com/SKWPVVnsQd
— Channel 5 Sport (@Channel5Sport) May 13, 2022
Josh Kelly's return was supposed to act as the chief support. However, the fight was called off right at the last minute following opponent Xhuljo Vrenozi pulling out. Kelly took to the mic to announce the news and claimed that he is now likely to compete on Wasserman's next show, which takes place in Liverpool in June.
Josh Kelly addressing the crowd, confirming that his fight at the O2 Indigo tonight is OFF ? pic.twitter.com/kR00vljerD
— Rob Tebbutt (@RobTebbutt) May 13, 2022
Harlem Eubank impressed yet again as he continues his rise up the levels. Eubank produced a perfect one punch knockout over domestic veteran Sean Dodd, Eubank had been calling for big names, including bright prospect Dalton Smith, and might just get them following a brutal knockout victory.
HUGE left hook from @harlemeubank ????@WilliamHill | @SauerlandBros | @WassermanBoxing | #EUBANKDODDpic.twitter.com/XaT2w4icTD
— Channel 5 Sport (@Channel5Sport) May 13, 2022
Brad Pauls exteneded his record to 16-0, as he defeated domestic rival Ryan Kelly in a thrilling British title eliminator. Pauls came out firing and backed Kelly up early in the first as he looked for an early night. Kelly responded and started to find success and began to get a foothold in the fight. Pauls finished strong in the final round which lead to scorecards reading 96-95, 97-95 and 96-94, all in favour of Pauls.
The knockout very nearly came for Constantin Ursu as he piled in body shots on Boria Lopez, even dropping him in the first minute of the bout. Lopez survived to here the final bell, leading to a victory for Ursu.
Harvey Horn returned to winning ways as he produced a fine performace to earn a shutout victory over Alejandro Torres. Katharina Thanderz also returned to winning ways as she defeated Tereza Dvorakova.
Finally, Razor Ali impressed as he searched for a knockout victory, but instead got a shutout victory over Khvicha Gigolashvili.