DENZEL BENTLEY, Brad Pauls and Nathan Heaney have developed unexpected rivalries over the last 13 months and British boxing is better off because of it.
The fourth fight between the trio went down at Wembley Arena last night. The bill topper finished off another year of Queensberry Promotions fight cards which began at the Copper Box on February 10 when Hamzah Sheeraz ended the career of Liam Williams. Fifteen shows in total that featured the following nine British title fights overall.
Sam Noakes v Lewis Sylvester
Nathan Heaney v Brad Pauls
Dennis McCann v Brad Strand
Chris Bourke v Ashley Lane
Nathan Heaney v Brad Pauls 2
Ashley Lane v Andrew Cain
Henry Turner v Jack Rafferty
Sam Noakes v Ryan Walsh
Denzel Bentley v Brad Pauls
In between working with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season, Queensberry has continued to show its commitment to the Lonsdale belt. And at middleweight, the belt has changed hands three times since November 18, 2023. That night at the Manchester Arena, Nathan Heaney caused the British upset of the year by beating Bentley, 21-3-1 (17 KOs), a former world title challenger, by majority decision to deservedly take the title back to Stoke.
In the build-up there was no bad blood. Had Heaney, 18-1-1 (6 KOs), tried to do something out of character, it would have likely been dismissed because the majority of boxing fans were in no doubt that this would be a one-sided contest. An inspired Heaney discarded the tag of just being a ticket seller and a gimmick and took advantage of the lacklustre champion who looked nothing like the fighter who gave Zhanibek Alimkhanuly a decent run for his money one year earlier.
Heaney had described the fight as “the biggest thing ever” for his career when he spoke to Boxing News prior to facing Bentley. “Hopefully he brings out the best in me because I think I box to the level that’s in front of me.” Heaney rose to the occasion to produce something memorable that will live long in his memory and his supporters who helped get him over the line.
Three months earlier, Brad Pauls, 19-2-1 (11 KOs), wasn’t fighting on television. Winning the English title at the second attempt, however, put him closer to a first British title shot. Pauls was a leading cast member of the small hall circuit but six months later he found himself on the biggest stage of his career.
When the time came for Pauls to take on the new British middleweight champion, there was still talk of Heaney fighting outdoors at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium. But just like Heaney did against Bentley – who had world title aspirations – Pauls showed he belonged and in the eighth round had Heaney in trouble after a big right hand connected. But the chance to finish the fight was over immediately when he lost his gumshield buying himself time. In the end their British title classic ended in a draw. Heaney was “absolutely gutted”, while Pauls remarked, “Respect to Nathan. He has done it the way I have; small hall, worked his way up. I just wanted his belt. It’s nothing personal.”
A British title fight ending all-square means a rematch is a must.
For Bentley it would be another two months before he would return to the ring against Danny Dignum. The Londoner was enjoying fatherhood for the first time and took some time to put the loss to Heaney, which was a serious setback, behind him.
In the build-up BN spoke to the two-time British champion about the loss to Heaney.
“Every fight is a must-win fight. No-one thought that about Heaney but that was a must-win fight but look at me now, I’m still headlining but at York Hall. I was at the Manchester Arena last time. But I’m back at York Hall. Every fight is a must-win fight and that’s how I see it. I’ve learned from the last performance that you can’t take nothing for granted. Even after I beat Danny Dignum my next fight has to be a must-win for me to continue moving forward and to get paid like I want to (laughs) and win titles that I want to win.”
Bentley tore through Dignum in two rounds proving there were no scars from the defeat that previous November. In fact, Bentley looked like a man who had rediscovered one of his best attributes- power.
The summer would see Heaney and Pauls return to the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, the site of their first fight, with a point to prove. Both felt they won in March and things began to get a bit prickly between two nice guys of British boxing. The fight needed little selling. There wasn’t much to separate them but sometimes it comes down to good old fashioned power to determine a winner and a loser.
Pauls, who had been working with a mindset coach as part of his preparations, reflected on the first fight with BN. “I think I started slow, I think I gave a lot of easy, simple shots in the first four or five rounds that I shouldn’t have got hit with, but I think I showed my strength later on in the fight and I came on strong, I showed I could dig deep. So for me to win, I think I need to do the same but a little bit better. Everything the same, just a few percent better on each aspect.”
That extra few per cent arrived for Pauls in the final round when Heaney, who had been down in the fourth and twelfth rounds, had no answer to the sustained pressure of Pauls, who stopped the champion with just under a minute left in the fight. Cornwall had its first British champion since Len Harvey in the 1930s. Pauls loved being British champion for the next five months. Just like Heaney, it had been his cup final and a foundation from which to build up to something bigger.
The Bentley engine roared back into life once again a month after Pauls won. Derrick Osaze stood no chance as soon as Bentley set upon him and let his hands go.
Pauls v Bentley was on the horizon. As the weeks passed, after the announcement, the fight became bigger. First, it was a British title fight. Then the European title was added after Hamzah Sheeraz vacated and then their promoter Frank Warren promised the winner a world title shot. All that was missing was a car for the winner!
Last night, at Wembley Arena, Bentley showed his class in the first four rounds. Pauls had no answer to the jab or the shots that followed. A talking to from Terry Steward brought a different Pauls out for the second third of the fight who closed the distance and began to outmuscle Bentley. Just as Pauls looked like he was getting on top Bentley dug deep and jumped out for the 10th with purpose and eventually put the champion down. It was another engrossing British title affair which has brought together three men from different backgrounds, whose ambitions have soared, dipped, crashed and risen again.
Bentley now moves on to an expected second world title tilt. Pauls will learn from those first four rounds and another slow start – he has to. Heaney returns in February and the dream of fighting at Stoke City FC isn’t dead yet.
Whatever happens in the future Bentley v Pauls 2, Pauls v Heaney 3 and Heaney v Bentley 2 makes a lot of sense. Maybe it will come in the latter stages of their careers, maybe it will be when one needs the other or maybe because when these three come together they produce fights that show with or without Riyadh Season the British boxing scene delivers more often than not.
