DANNY Dignum is considering retirement if he doesnโt defeat Denzel Bentley on Saturday evening. Those were the words of the man himself as the pair met earlier today to publicise their York Hall crossroads clash on Saturday, May 11.ย
The former world title challenger is piling the pressure on himself to pull through against a local rival he has shared the sparring ring with numerous times over the years.
โWeโre both good fighters, both sort of at a crossroads,โ Dignum deliberated. โThe winner goes on to big things and the loser, well for me, itโs retirement because Iโm not in the rebuilding process.ย
โI donโt want to give up boxing, I want to carry on, so I have got to win this fight. Iโve trained so hard, but for me to rebuild or whatever, I donโt want to be doing that, so I must win this fight to carry on.โ
Prior to his world title tilt in 2022, Dignum had amassed a 14-0-1 record mostly at domestic level. Fighting Janibek Alimkhanuly was just too big of a jump in class and he was dealt with inside two rounds. This fight, while a tough assignment, is much more winnable if preparation matches expectation.
โIf I turn up on the night, I believe I can win,โ added Dignum (16-1-1, 9 KOs). โItโs alright me saying it, Iโve got to do it.โ
Rejecting the notion of a bounce-back or comeback fight, opponent Denzel Bentley is just focusing on the fact that heโs involved in a 50-50 contest. Promoter Frank Warren has labelled this as a must-win affair for Bentley following his losing effort to Nathan Heaney last time out. An out-of-sorts Denzel surrendered his British title in the process.
โEvery fightโs a must-win fight. This isnโt a confidence booster or a feel-good fight, this is a real fight and after I beat Danny, Iโll feel good,โ said Bentley.
Conceding that his former sparring partner was a very good amateur and is a skilled professional, Bentley reads nothing into Dignumโs display against common opponent Alimkhanuly referring to it as a slip-up. Faring much better when he fought Janibek -losing over 12 competitive rounds – โ2 Sharpโ isnโt buying Dannyโs retirement talk either.
โThatโs his problem. Iโm not buying into that stuff,โ said Bentley. โIf he wants to retire, then good luck to him. He probably doesnโt believe in himself anymore, and this is a dangerous sport to be in. You canโt be one foot in, one foot out.โ
The 18-3-1 (15 KOs) fighter from Battersea was asked what is different now as opposed to the turmoil of the Heaney build-up.
โA clear mindset,โ smiled Bentley, who is hoping to carry that level of clarity into the York Hall on Saturday evening.
On the undercard, Ryan Garner meets former British super-featherweight champion Liam Dillon in a 10-round WBC International title clash.
โI had two good back-to-back wins and then I was supposed to fight [Anthony] Cacace. He pulled out through injury, then I got injured, so letโs get the ball rolling again,โ said a positive Garner.ย
A fight with Archie Sharp, who was sitting next to Garner, has been talked about. Thereโs no beef between the pair and itโs news to the 14-0 Southampton fighter, but if everything makes sense, heโs on board.
โThatโs the first Iโve heard about it,โ said โThe Piranhaโ.ย
โThings get talked about behind closed doors, but I was speaking to Archie and we get along well. Itโs business at the end of the day; itโs boxing. We are just here to provide for our families first and foremost.โ