PROVEN as an elite and historic domestic contender, Denzel Bentley remains determined to succeed at a level above and claim world honours at 160lbs. Now, Bentley can move closer to a second shot at the middleweight crown.
Bentley, 21-3-1 (17 KOs), joined Kevin Finnegan and Tony Sibson in the unique club of Britons to thrice capture the Lonsdale Belt, when he outpointed Brad Pauls to become a three-time British middleweight champion back in December.
With his domestic legacy cemented, Bentley now eyes a second challenge for world honours and will hope for a better result than when he came up short against now-unified IBF and WBO world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly back in 2022.
However, to secure any such opportunity, Bentley must first overcome Mexican-based Venezuelan Endry Saavedra, 17-1-1 (14 KOs), in a final eliminator clash between the WBO’s #1 and #2 ranked middleweight contenders.
Speaking exclusively to Boxing News, Saavedra revealed that the contest would take place on the soon-to-be announced O2 Arena card, reportedly headlined by Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley, before expressing his excitement ahead of the bout.
“It will be my first time in London, I’m very excited about my first fight on English soil.
“It will be the most emblematic fight in my career. I know that, after this great fight, the boxing world will know more of Endry Saavedra.”
Whilst full of respect for Bentley, Saavedra spoke with confidence and promised the performance of a ‘great Latin warrior’ when he collides with ‘2 Sharp’ next month.
“He is a great fighter and you have to keep a close eye on him! Every fight is a war; every boxer steps into the ring to give his all! Every boxer who steps into the ring is dangerous.
“Although, I am a boxer who knows how to adapt to his rivals and on fight night, using my Venezuelan style with Mexican boxing, you will see a great Latin warrior.”
Saavedra has recently shown that he is willing to travel overseas to progress his career and has had success in his last three fights, which ended a streak of 16 consecutive outings in Mexico since Saavedra’s professional debut.
‘El Chino’ ventured to Australia in March 2024 and shocked Isaac Hardman in an upset stoppage win, before travelling to Orlando, Florida, and drawing with Cesar Mateo Tapia as the underdog last October.
Last time out, in April, the 34-year-old made a second trip Down Under and halted Mikkel Nielsen to further climb the world rankings. Now Saavedra finds himself one step away from an unforeseen bid for the WBO world title.
Despite concerns regarding Alimkhanuly’s ability to continue to make 160lbs, it is expected that the victor of Bentley-Saavedra will indeed take on the unified titlist, due to the Kazakh’s ongoing quest for the undisputed title.
The full announcement of Parker-Wardley is expected imminently, with the pencilled-in date of Saturday, October 25, just seven weeks away.
