Denzel Bentley (20-3-1) is a man familiar with both the highs and lows of the fight game.
Three months after a brutally emphatic shut-down of the reliable Danny Dignum (16-2-1) in the second round, the Londoner returned with another second round beat-down, this time against Nottingham’s ‘Punching Preacher’ Derrick Osaze (13-2).
It is safe to say that, on August 17th, Bentley familiarised himself with the highs of the sport once again, securing the first defence of his WBO International Middleweight strap in his successful rebuild, hopefully one that will put him in good stead to challenge for the WBO World belt once more.
The one-time BBBofC Middleweight title-holder has found success at York Hall since his surprise loss to Stoke-on-Trent’s Nathan Heaney (18-1-1). This time out, Bentley was ‘2Sharp’ with a right hand, from which Osaze failed to recover in the second round of their scheduled ten.
Osaze, who had previously won the Boxxer tournament and had only lost to reigning EBU European Middleweight champion Tyler Denny (19-2-3), simply could not compare. Bentley was a man possessed, ready for the opportunities that are sure to be afforded to him, be it Denny himself, Hamzah Sheeraz (20-0), or a rematch with Heaney.
The co-main event provided Aloys Junior (8-1) with much to celebrate about, displaying his superb punching power against undefeated German cruiserweight Oronzo Birardi (8-1).
Since a debut loss, Junior has not allowed the judges to decide his fate, ending all seven of his wins within the distance. Certainly, Junior is being hailed as one of Britain’s best up-and-coming power-punchers; a bright hope for Queensberry Promotions. Despite not securing the KO, it was a valuable experience, one that will teach the youngster greater ring control.
The Londoner still had areas to develop upon – particularly his movement, as he was rather flat-footed, but earned a unanimous decision nevertheless. He has now inched closer to the heavy-hitters of the cruiserweight division with the IBO Continental belt as compensation.
As expected, much of the nurtured Queensberry prospects found success further down the card.
One half of the Fail brothers, Ben Fail (7-0), continued his winning ways at super-welterweight. The same can be said of Joshua Frankham (10-0), also fighting at super-welterweight; both men sealed easy points decisions, with Fail looking noticeably improved against previous outings.
At super-featherweight, Frankie Wood (1-0) of West Ham made a successful points decision debut, whilst Billy Adams (4-0) banked a six round decision against veteran – and one-time prospect – Marvin Solano (24-19) of Nicaragua.
Ultimately, despite the length of the card, it was vital for the development of budding prospects under the Queensberry banner and the two title bouts were sufficiently exciting.