In a fight that had solid action for as long as it lasted at York Hall, Denzel Bentley lived up to his nickname “2 Sharp” for a second consecutive fight as he scored an impressive second round KO win over Derrick Osaze to retain a regional middleweight belt. The win came after an impressive second round KO win over Danny Dignum as Bentley put himself back in the middleweight championship picture in the 2024 calendar year.

The second round saw Osaze come out and start to move Bentley backwards and seemed to take control of the round. But with 45 seconds left in the second, Bentley followed up a series of left jabs with a perfectly placed uppercut on the point of the chin that sent Osaze down on the canvas, which caused the referee Latham to stop the fight immediately as Osaze struggled to get to his feet after the perfectly placed punch.

For Bentley, it was a second must win fight to stay in the world title hunt in the middleweight division given he had lost 2 of his last 3 before the Dignum fight, losing his British title to Nathan Headey last November where he drew stiff criticism for a not so great performance. The two KO wins put him in line for a line for a potential world title rematch against Janibek Alimkhanuly, who beat Bentley on a points decision win back in November 2022.

He’s called “2 Sharp” for a reason. For the 2nd time in 2024, Denzel Bentley lived up to his nickname.

Photo Credit; Telecom Asia