Frank Warren confirmed that Denzel Bentley operated under verbal handshake agreements rather than a promotional contract starting in 2022. Warren stated that Queensberry made a calculated choice to pass on bidding for Bentley’s mandatory defense against Yoenli Hernandez.
That revelation clarifies the sudden departure to Zuffa Boxing. Bentley never breached an exclusive deal by walking away, since no paperwork tied him down. Queensberry successfully revived Bentley’s standing following career setbacks, eventually guiding him to the WBO middleweight title, yet left the working relationship open without written commitments.
“I haven’t had a contract with him since 2022,” Warren told The Stomping Ground. “We worked with him and with Martin and Tony Bowers and done a lot of things on handshakes. It is what it is. I made a decision not to bid for the fight, and we didn’t bid for it. … We’ve done a fantastic job for him, but it is what it is, and whatever he does, that’s up to him.”
Warren pointed to his work rebuilding Bentley after losses to Felix Cash and Nathan Heaney. He also highlighted how Queensberry campaigned for the interim opportunity that led directly to Bentley gaining the full title once Janibek Alimkhanuly moved up.
Walking away from the purse bid makes total sense financially. Yoenli Hernandez brings minimal commercial interest to British television, yet he represents pure danger inside the ring. Bentley possesses decent fundamentals alongside local support. Still, the explosive power of Hernandez makes this an awful matchup for the champion. Bentley would likely enter as a major underdog with little chance of lasting the full distance.
That is a view of the matchup, rather than Warren’s stated reason for declining to bid.
Taking a bout against Shane Mosley Jr. on Zuffa Boxing 12 offers Bentley better visibility. Yet Mosley does not erase the mandatory status of Hernandez. The purse bid already concluded.
Bentley inherited the WBO belt through elevation rather than winning it in the ring. Securing a more lucrative assignment in America gives him no right to ignore an ordered challenger. If the sanctioning body enforces its rules, choosing Mosley means surrendering the belt immediately.
