23:28
Denzel Bentley defeats Brad Pauls on points
After 12 thrilling rounds, Bentley always had his nose ahead and prevailed by scores of 117-110 (Mark Bates), 116-111 (Ron Kearney) and 115-112 (Bob Williams).
Kieran McCann refereed the contest. Pauls was the only man who touched down and always felt like he was chasing the contest.
23:17
Brad Pauls goes down
Pauls takes an impromptu knee after a shot to the eye. Pauls clings on for dear life as his left eye closes up. He sees out the round but is hurt again in the 11th session as they go toe to toe. The crowd go wild.
23:14
Pauls is moving awkwardly
Bentley audibly complained about Pauls’ unorthodox movement in between the ninth and 10th. Trainer Martin Bowers agrees. Pauls appears buzzed at the opening of the 10th. Bentley’s power shows itself finally.
23:09
Potent Pauls pouring it on
Denzel Bentley’s lead is being scraped away round by round. Bentley’s jab has disappeared for the most part. Even though he’s boxing well at times, the Battersea man’s body language is giving off a bit of a defeatist tone. Especially as the champion motors forward, letting both paws fly.
22:56
Better fifth round for Pauls
Brad Pauls raises the temperature in the fifth. A few shots get through, all coming off the back of a better left jab. Bentley was thrown off his tempo a little as Pauls got in closer to work.
22:51
Bit of a reach for Brad
Brad Pauls is increasingly out of range and that’s mainly down to Bentley’s long, hard jab. The left lever has been the story of the fight so far as we hit the end of the fourth. Pauls is waiting too long, wary of Denzel’s power punches.
22:42
Bentley rumbling into gear
Denzel Bentley’s left jab was in force early as he sought to silence the “Newquay Bomb” chants from Pauls’ vocal following.
Pauls was still struggling to close the gap in round two as his lunged attacks spoke of moderate desperation. Bentley’s power shone through briefly. Pauls was giving up to much ground.
22:35
The main event is here!
The Magnificent 7 has been whittled down to a terrific twosome as Brad Pauls and Denzel Bentley prepare to go at it over 12 rounds or less. Big stakes here, some top titles and a world tilt on the line for the winner.
22:19
Emotional perspective for Noakes
The interviewer calls for an emotional perspective as the Noakes brothers, Sam and Sean, appear on the same bill.
“He’s got a very hard head,” laughed Noakes. “We knew the corner wouldn’t pull him out and credit, he [Walsh] deserved to hear the final bell.”
Trainer Alan Smith added: “He’s [Noakes] only had 16 fights, so what he’s achieved is incredible. He showed patience, maturity, listening in the corner. Maybe with a little more pressure, he would’ve stopped him.”
22:14
Sam Noakes sweeps up wide on points
It’s all over and we have a winner. The three judges handed in scores of 119-109 and 120-108 (twice), all in favour of Noakes, who produced a disciplined, thinking performance.
Noakes planted his feet and threw some heavy shots in the final round. Referee Reece Carter applauds as the pair embraced, blood smeared across one another. Walsh may hang up the gloves after this one. It felt like one final effort.
21:57
Warrior Walsh has a decision to make
Ryan Walsh has a wry smile on his face after round nine. Walsh is getting past the stage of being able to win the fight and must devise a strategy for negotiating his way to round 12. The commentators feel like Noakes’ team is sensing that Walsh is on the brink of collapse.
21:43
Noakes cranking up the heat
Sam Noakes turned it up a notch at the close of the fourth. Graham Everett and company are keeping a check on Walsh’s bloody nose.
Walsh found a sneaky right hook in round five that caught Noakes’ attention. Spending more time as a southpaw currently, Walsh. Noakes never stops stalking.
21:31
Patient Noakes is looking for openings
Walsh’s experience means he’s not there to be hit hard and often, like some of Noakes’ previous opponents. Analyst Richie Woodhall is concerned about Walsh switching and squaring up.
Noakes is alert to this potential opening. Junior Witter used to do the same back in the day, switching mid-shots. There’s an old-school reference for you. Two down, into the third.
21:24
Sam Noakes and Ryan Walsh are ready to roll
Defending European lightweight champion Sam Noakes is prepared to box savvy veteran Ryan Walsh over 12 rounds. The Cromer man has been a great servant to British boxing and will give heavy-handed Noakes a different look.
21:12
George Crotty wins his debut
A nice four-round workout for ‘Gorgeous’ George Crotty, who gets a TV slot in his float bout. Crotty can thank Adeleye and Okolie for their first-round wins.
The 30-year-old Royston man could not make a dent in Cornwall survivor Dylan Courtney. A solid debut victory awarded the formality 40-36 on referee Mark Bates’ reckoning.
20:41
Muhamed knocked out in a round
The overhand rights were swinging and Muhamed’s chin shipped the first flush one. In a flash, he was left on his back and knocked out at 2-14 of the opening session as Okolie countered an overreach.
“Muhamed never looked settled,” suggests TNT Sports commentator Paul Dempsey.
20:37
Couple of big lads having a rumble
Okolie is 18st 8lbs, that’s quite the weight for his heavyweight debut. Hopefully, he’s not one step closer to the Henry Akinwande route of hugging and holding.
Hussein Muhamed isn’t a big man for the weight, but he’s happy to wing in a few right hands. Okolie’s jab is working well. Lee Every is the referee.
20:21
“David has put himself back in the mix,” says promoter Frank Warren
“I’ve still got a lot to do. Adam [Booth] wants a lot from me and he’s a hard man to please,” said Adeleye.
New trainer Adam Booth added: “He’s a phenomenal athlete who has some really bad habits. The right hand is to come, but that jab and lead left hook is a problem for anybody.”
Booth had him working on his footwork and balance. Adeleye credited Dacres, hoping he has a good support network to bounce back from the defeat.
20:16
Adeleye back with a bang!
Dacres is detonated as he ships a crunching left hook in round one and ends up on the canvas. Referee Darren Sarginson waves it off at 1-20 to crown Adeleye the new English champion.
Dacres is a lethargic character at the best of times and his jab was slow and demeanour ill-equipped to deal with the explosivity of the Londoner.
20:08
Dacres and Adeleye in the ring
English heavyweight champion Solomon Dacres is ready to go in with David Adeleye, who has been missing for over a year. His last outing was a stoppage loss to Fabio Wardley in Saudi.
Adeleye is aggressive, so expect a fast start from him. Dacres is more patient, almost stagnant at times. The West Midlands man knows how to navigate the distance, so he will fancy himself late on if it goes that far.
20:00
Calm Junior doesn’t need people to tell him he’s special
Belief is the key word for Aloys as he explains why he belongs on the big stage.
“Step by step, I have a team for a reason and they help me out,” says the winner. “Keep watching, keep believing, Aloys the animal.”
19:53
Junior beats up a man 12 years his senior
Solid start for Junior who let a few early bombs fly. Oakford is taller but slower. He’s unloaded a few swings, but nothing landed of note. Oakford is tough but the body shots are hurting him.
Oakford goes down in round three, nose bleeding, as he accepts a count with a nod of the head. Moments later, Oakford is stunned by a thudding right hand and is suddenly prone on the ropes as Mr McDonnell steps in and waves it off at 1-39 the third, set for 10.
19:42
Junior and Oakford in the ring
Reigning Silver Commonwealth champion Oakford, aka ‘The Mighty Oak’ takes on puncher Aloys ‘The Animal’ Junior, with Ben Davison in his corner. Three judges for this one. Referee Marcus McDonnell is in charge of keeping this pair in check.
19:28
Victory for Noakes on points after 10 gruelling rounds
The fight is over and we have a winner. Sean Noakes gets it by scores of 97-93 on all three judges’ scorecards.
No disgrace from Rennie, who ended up bloodied and bruised but unbroken. Lack of power hurt him, and he was made to hang on towards the end.
19:21
Industrial from Noakes and the corner
Plenty of industry from Noakes as he toils away, coming forward. A little touch of industrial language in his corner as well, ensuring he doesn’t let Rennie breathe. Noakes is solid at English title level, but anyone with a good jab and feet would give him fits.
19:11
No respite for Rennie
Rennie is sagging a little now. Noakes’ pressure has been relentless and is starting to take its toll. The body shots, in particular, are working well as Rennie continues to bleed.
19:06
Sean Noakes sporting some head damage
Noakes is fighting through round four with a head clash. Opponent Matthew Rennie is picking shots from against the ropes. Referee Ron Kearney implores Noakes to keep them up as things heat up in round five.
Brad Pauls vs. Denzel Bentley: Live Updates & Results
Brad Pauls faces Denzel Bentley in the main event of ‘Magnificent 7’ at Wembley Arena.
Where can you watch Brad Pauls vs. Denzel Bentley?
The ‘Magnificent 7’ show will go live on TNT Sports 2 from 6pm (UK/IRE) with the main event expected from 10pm (UK/IRE) approx.
What fights are on the Brad Pauls vs. Denzel Bentley undercard?
12 x 3 mins – British middleweight title and vacant European title
Brad Pauls vs. Denzel Bentley
12 x 3 mins – British and Commonwealth lightweight titles
Sam Noakes vs. Ryan Walsh
10 x 3 mins – WBC Silver heavyweight title
Lawrence Okolie vs. Hussein Muhamed
10 x 3 mins – English heavyweight title
Solomon Dacres vs. David Adeleye
10 x 3 mins – WBA Intercontinental cruiserweight title
Aloys Youmbi vs. Lewis Oakford
10 x 3 mins – English welterweight title
Sean Noakes vs. Matthew Rennie
8 x 3 mins – lightweight
Royston Barney-Smith vs. Andres Navarrete
8 x 3 mins – welterweight
Pierce O’Leary vs. Jose Edgardo Perdomo
6 x 3 mins – super-featherweight
Billy Adams vs. Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira
4 x 3 mins – light-heavyweight
George Crotty vs. Dylan Courtney
