WBO rejects Bentley’s appeal over mandatory defense

Denzel Bentley must choose between Hernández and his Zuffa Boxing debut

Denzel Bentley's bout on November 7 against Shane Mosley Jr. now puts his WBO middleweight title at risk, as the governing body is now demanding that he face Yoenli Hernandez.

This puts Denzel Bentley’s planned debut with Zuffa Boxing in conflict with his next title defense. The WBO announced on Thursday that the mandatory defense order had been definitively confirmed.

“Both parties have been ordered to confirm their intention to proceed within 24 hours of service of the Award”

they said.

The deadline now means that both boxers must agree to the fight within 24 hours. However, they do not have to complete all negotiations within that timeframe. Nevertheless, this means that Denzel Bentley’s plan has fallen through. He actually wanted to retain his title without much fuss and first take on an easier opponent to really make his mark at Zuffa. However, the WBO has rejected this approach. Now it’s up to him to decide which path he wants to take. Either he goes for the title, or he takes on other fights first. The WBO will most likely not give him the option to combine the two.

I think that's a pretty tough decision by the WBO, and one made on such short notice. Sure, Yoenli Hernandez can't wait forever, and at some point it's just his turn, but doing it this way is really tough.