BRITISH MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION Liam Williams is tipping former foe Mark Heffron to ‘chin’ Denzel Bentley when the pair’s eagerly awaited collision comes around on Saturday night, live on BT Sport.

Despite his heated history with hardman Heffron, Williams reserved his most stinging comments for Denzel ‘2Sharp’ Bentley who he referred to as “reckless and sloppy”.

The much-anticipated tear-up between Heffron and Bentley is an eliminator for the British title held by Williams, who is no stranger to the two potential challengers.

‘The Machine’ has in-ring experience battling Heffron and shared social media barbs with Bentley in the past.

In the ring, Williams became a two-weight British champion at the expense of the then unbeaten Oldham man Heffron, who now clocks in with a record of 25-1.

Heffron came up against Williams on December 2018 after his mandated match for the Lonsdale belt – Jason Welborn – withdrew from the contest following the purse bid process. It caused more than a few ripples of anticipation when Williams was tempted to step up from super welterweight and take on the challenge against a known heavy puncher.

The fight was the catalyst of a run of form from the Welshman that saw him soar to mandatory position for the WBO world title held by Demetrius Andrade in the space of four fights – all spectacular stoppages.

Nobody could really have known, least of all Heffron, that we were to witness the birth of a middleweight force of nature.

That being said, Williams holds his former opponent in a high regard and strongly suspects he will have the beating of the hitherto unbeaten Bentley, who is also a known knockout merchant, with 11 from his 13 wins.

Williams believes there are weaknesses Heffron will exploit.

“I think it will be a good fight – a very good fight,” considered the 28-year-old, who works out of the Ingle Gym in Sheffield.

“I think Heffron will probably end up chinning him. Bentley is very reckless and a bit sloppy, I think so, from what I have seen.

“He is a little bit sloppy and, as everyone knows, Heffron is a very big puncher. I was actually sparring with Mark the other day and it was a good old dust-up. You would never expect anything less of Mark because he is a top fighter who comes to give it.”

Williams acknowledges that Heffron was unfortunate to come up against a man possessed when he introduced himself to the middleweight division.

“This is it, if it wasn’t for me being on my A-game or if he was against anybody else he would have become British champion. He just came up against the wrong person that night because I was hungry and firing on all cylinders.

“He came up a bit short, but I think he will become British champion another time. I actually think as soon as he challenges again he will become champion.”

So has Williams noted a narrowing of the gap between himself and Heffron from their recent spar-wars?

“No comment!

“With me and Mark, with the build-up we had and stuff, at the time I genuinely didn’t like the boy and I wanted to hurt him. But, in all fairness to him, I do think he is a sound lad and we get on good now because it is just a sport and we had to put that behind us.

“He is fighting to provide and so am I. We just happened to come up against each other and it was me that came out on top.”

Mark Heffron and Denzel Bentley will fight live on BT Sport this Saturday on a card that also features the return of Anthony Yarde to light heavyweight action against Dec Spelman.

The vacant IBF European title will also be on the line at welterweight when Cedrick Peynaud meets English champion Ekow Essuman. Ellsewhere, lightweight Bilal Ali, featherweight Amin Jahanzeb and debut making super-welterweight Josh Frankham round out the card.

MARK HEFFRON BELIEVES his hugely anticipated showdown with Denzel Bentley will develop into the shootout everyone expects, but reckons a few cagey rounds could precede the firefight.

The middleweight bangers collide inside the BT Studio on Saturday night – live coverage begins on BT Sport 1 from 7.30pm – and the 25-1 Heffron was forthright in his initial assessment of how the fight will go against the unbeaten Bentley, 13-0.

“I’m gonna demolish him!” was his opening gambit.

“I don’t even know how it will play out… It could be a bit of a chess match at first but after a few rounds it will get lively.

“I don’t think he is the best of boxers, to be honest,  and he was all over the place when Mick Hall put it on him. I think the only thing he can do is come forward, basically.

“I don’t think he has been hit before, but I have definitely got to be smart in what I do.

“This will get me right back on track, get a good win over Denzel and it should put me forward for big titles. I 100 per cent still want the British. Hopefully, after beating Denzel, I will be fighting for the British in December.”

The 28-year-old Heffron has resisted a recently stated intention to move up to super middleweight and has instead been going over some old ground in the gym with the only man to have beaten him as a pro. What he doesn’t intend to do, unlike against Liam Williams, is engage in any verbal warfare with Bentley because this really is a fight that speaks for itself.

“I have sorted my diet our properly now and my weight has come down by itself. It is almost bang-on already.

“We had a good spar, me and Liam, but I didn’t chin him and we did eight rounds. In one of the rounds they had to stop it and tell us both to calm down a bit.

“I’m just going to keep myself to myself and do my thing in the ring. I did call him a silly sausage once but I’ve got no hard feelings towards Denzel and he has not said anything bad about me.

“He seems like a nice lad but, obviously, this is business and he is in my way,” added the Oldham man, who is fully embracing the prospect of fighting without his army of fans urging him on.

“I am ready for all the new stuff and I am looking forward to just chilling out in the hotel. I think fighting behind closed doors might be better for me because when all the crowd are going mad you are not as focused.

“This time you will see the best of me even though I would have done hundreds of tickets for this one. This camp has actually been a lot easier with not messing around so much sorting out tickets.”

Without having to cater for the ticketing demands of the Oldham public, Heffron has been able to settle into a routine with his latest trainer in Michael Jennings, the former British welterweight champion and world title challenger.

“I’ve had a few, haven’t I…” conceded Heffron on his multiple moves.

“Obviously I am happy now 100 per cent and this is me now with Michael. I am buzzing with him and I have learned so much over the last seven or eight weeks. I am just ready now to go and I can’t wait.

“For this fight, with Michael, we have got an absolute banging game plan and everything is working. We’ve and the perfect sparring for Denzel and I have been putting the plan into action during the sparring.”

Mark Heffron and Denzel Bentley will fight on BT Sport on Saturday September 12 on a card that also features the return of Anthony Yarde to light heavyweight action against Dec Spelman.

The IBF European title will also be on the line at welterweight when the holder Cedrick Peynaud defends against English champion Ekow Essuman. Nathan Gorman returns to the heavyweight picture against Richard Lartey, with lightweight Bilal Ali, featherweight Amin Jahanzeb and debut making super welterweight Josh Frankham also on the card.

Live coverage begins on BT Sport 1 at 7.30pm

Anthony Yarde vs Dec Spelman, Nathan Gorman vs Richard Lartey, Mark Heffron vs Denzel Bentley and Ekow Essuman vs Cedrick Peynaud have today all been announced for a bumper Queensberry Promotions card on September 12.

Anthony Yarde will take on Dec Spelman, in what will prove an ideal chance to directly compare himself against potential future foe Lyndon Arthur – who last month edged Spelman on points behind-closed-doors.

Yarde challenged for a World Title against Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and has been absent since his Russian mission – where he came within seconds of toppling the legendary champion.

The light heavyweight Beast from the East is now back in business against an opponent who extended Manchester’s Arthur to 12 rounds of work in July. Commenting on the fight on behalf of BT Sport on the night, Yarde complained over a lack of entertainment from the pair and that he needed paying to stay awake.

Yarde will be looking to provide more entertainment on September 12.

Also featuring on what will be a huge night of action is the heavyweight return of Nathan Gorman, 16-1, who will fight Richard Lartey from Ghana (subject to visa approval) in an eliminator for the Commonwealth title. Both have a shared experience of taking on Daniel Dubois, with the 14-2 Lartey engaging in an explosive shootout with the young Londoner before being stopped in four rounds at Wembley Arena in April of last year.

Gorman, just 24, will be seeking to put the domestic heavyweight division on notice that he is back in the fold and in the bidding for major titles once again.

The vacant IBF European welterweight championship will be on the line for English champion Ekow Essuman when he goes in with the Frenchman Cedrick Peynaud. The Paris-based Peynaud took part in two epic struggles against Connor Benn across 2017-18 where both men were put to the canvas and it represents an ideal test for Essuman, who is in the British title mix along with Benn and the champion Chris Jenkins.

In what is a huge fight for the middleweight division in this country, a battle of the big punchers is confirmed between Battersea’s Denzel Bentley (13-0) and Oldham’s Mark Heffron (25-1).

For a fight that surely cannot fail to deliver fireworks, the IBF European title is the prize for the winner between two men who have not been shy in calling each other out across social media. 

Promoter Frank Warren – who will also showcase the talents of lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali on the night, along with new signings Amin Jahanzeb (7-0, featherweight) and Joshua Frankham (debut, super welterweight) – said: 

“This is a card with the potential to deliver for the fans watching on BT Sport in a big way.

“Boxing is a game of ego’s and Anthony is keen to show the world that he can go one better than Lyndon and blast Spelman out early.

“Spelman is not an easy fight for anyone, but if Anthony comes through we’ll be on course for Yarde vs Arthur later this year hopefully.”

“I am delighted to be bringing Anthony back because he needs a competitive fight before his big domestic showdown against Lyndon Arthur and he will be determined to do a better job on Dec Spelman than his rival. He has put the onus on himself to find an explosive performance after complaining about Lyndon’s fight with Dec being boring!

“I still firmly believe Anthony is a world-level elite operator and he will prove as much given time but, for now, he needs to keep busy and remind the public of what he is all about.”

Anthony Yarde said:

“The people want explosive action and knockouts so I will not be hiding behind my jab and sending everyone to sleep,” stated the 19-1 man from Ilford. 

“This will be all about me reminding people that I am the force of the division and I am heading right back to the top where I intend to dominate and reign for a long time to come.

“I respect Dec Spelman as a fighter but this is the chance for me to show everyone what they can expect when I get to share a ring with Lyndon Arthur.”

Dec Spelman said:

“If Yarde comes to fight then so much the better for me. Lyndon made our fight a technical affair that I was disappointed I couldn’t really get to grips with, so if Yarde wants some action then bring it on.

“I will actually be his first test at domestic level so we will see how he looks on the night.”

FULL DETAILS FOR FURTHER SHOWS ON SEPT 26 (Headlined by Josh Taylor vs Apinun Khongsong) and OCT 10 COMING VERY SOON

Joe Joyce tuned for a fall showdown with Daniel Dubois by stopping Michael Wallisch in round three of their scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout at the BT Sports Studios in London.

Joyce dropped Wallisch in round two, and two tomes in round three, with the final coming from a vicious right to the body. The time of the stoppage was 57 seconds.

Joyce is now 11-0 with 10 knockouts. Wallisch of Germany is 20-4.

In a battle of undefeated super bantamweights, Chris Bourke won a decision over Ramez Mahmood.

Bourke, 121 lbs won by a 96-94 score, and is now 8-0. Mahmood, 121 1/2 lbs is 11-1.

Denzel Bentley remained undefeated by stopping Mick Hall in round six of their scheduled 10-round middleweight fight.

In round five, Hall’s right eye began to swell.

In round six, Bentley began to administer a beating as Hall’s eye’s began to close and bleed. The fight was stopped after the round.

Bentley, 158 3/4 lbs is now 13-0 with 11 knockouts. Hall, 160 1/2 lbs is 15-3.

Louie Lynn stopped Monty Oglivie in round two of their six-round super featherweight bout.

Lynn dropped Ogliviee in the 1st round with a hard combination. Lynn finished things a round later when he sent Oglivie to the deck with a jab that was followed by a right to the temple, and the bout was stopped at 2:01.

Lynn is 7-0 with six knockouts. Oglivie is 9-2.

Henry Turner remained undefeated with a four-round decision over Chris Adaway in a welterweight fight.

In round three, Turner scored a knockdown when he landed a quick right to the head.

Turner, 144 1/4 lbs won by a score of 40-35, and is 3-0. Adaway, 146 lbs is 10-68-4.

MARK HEFFRON REVEALED that he would be more than open to a battle of the middleweight bangers against Denzel Bentley if there is a belt at stake.

Heffron moved to 24-1 on Saturday in Leeds with a first round stoppage of the usually durable Rui Manuel Pavanito and is now on a sequence of three straight victories since his only setback against Liam Williams in December of last year.

Bentley from Battersea is 11-0 and the heavy-handed 24-year-old is making quite a name for himself, blasting out Kelcie Ball inside a round last time out at the Royal Albert Hall in September.

Both men carry formidable punching power, with Heffron having stopped 18 of his 24 losing opponents, with Bentley’s KO-ratio standing at nine out of 11.

It would have all the makings of a fan-friendly war where something would have to give and Bentley, 24, has previously expressed willingness on his part to engage in what would be a mighty collision.

The 27-year-old Heffron shares those sentiments.

“Yeah I’ve seen that in an interview with him,” said the Oldham man. “He is a good operator and a good fighter – and it would be a top fight. I would definitely do it if there is a good title on the line and it makes sense. I would fight anybody.

“I want titles and want something that means something,” added Heffron who, ideally, would relish another crack at the British title.

Heffron secured himself mandatory position for the middleweight edition of the Lonsdale belt and was initially lined up to fight the then champion Jason Welborn in December. Welborn then relinquished the title and Heffron subsequently accepted an invitation to fight the already world-level Williams for the vacant title.

He has no regrets over taking such a big step up, even though it resulted in a punishing 10th round stoppage.

“I am not in this game to avoid anyone and when the fight got offered to me, I took it. I couldn’t not take the fight. You learn a lot from your mistakes and I learned a lot from that fight. I am ready to move on now.”

Top Heavyweight prospect Daniel DuBois was dominant in stopping previously undefeated Ebenezer Tetteh in round one of a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout at Royal Albert Hall in London.

DuBois scored two hard knockdowns with the referee stopping the bout when Tetteh got to his feet after the 2nd time he was on the canvas at 2:10.

DuBois is 13-0 with 12 knockouts. Tetteh is 19-1.

Archie Sharp scored a vicious knockout over Declan Geraghty in round four of their scheduled ten round super featherweight bout.

Sharp landed a flush left hand to the head that sent Geraghty plummeting to the canvas with the back of his head hitting the deck at 2:14.

Sharp is now 17-0 with nine knockouts. Gerghty is 19-5.

Nicola Adams retained the WBO Flyweight title as she battled to a split draw with Maria Salinas.

Adams took a card 97-93; Salinas won a card 96-94, and a 3rd card was even at 95-95.

Adams is 5-0-1. Salinas is 21-7-4.

Denzel Bentley remained perfect by stopping Kelcie Ball in the 1st round of their scheduled six-round middleweight bout.

Bentley bludgeoned Ball for 72 seconds before the bout was mercifully waved off.

Bentley is 11-0 with nine knockouts. Ball is 10-2.

Dennis McCann remained undefeated by stopping Georgi Georgiev in round tao of the scheduled six-round bantamweight bout.

McCann dropped Georgiev twice in round one, and once in round two before Georgiev was stopped on his feet .

McCann is 4-0 wth three knockouts. Georgiev is 8-16-1.

Willy Hutchinson remained undefeated with a 2nd round stoppage over Boris Zankov in a light heavyweight bout.

The time was 2:15 for Hutchinson who is now 10-0 with seven knockouts. Zankov is 11-27-1.

Sam Noakes made a successful pro debut with a stoppage of Chris Adaway after round three of a scheduled four-round welterweight bout.

Noakes dominated the action as he landed hard shots on the ropes throughout the contest. round three, Noakes was bleeding from his left ear.

Noakes is 1-0 with one knockout. Adaway is 9-60-4.

ENZEL BENTLEY has called for a domestic showdown against middleweight rival Mark Heffron.

The Battersea banger is impressing with each fight and steps up in class at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Friday September 27 when he meets Midlander Kelcie Ball (10-1, 2KOs).

Bentley (10-0, 8KOs) is happy to be pushed towards Heffron even though his rival has had 24 fights, with the only setback coming against Liam Williams in a British title challenge.

Bentley, 24, said: “I would love the Heffron fight. As long as the promoters are happy let’s make it.

“It will be a great fight. We’d put on something great for the fans and it would test us both.

“Whoever comes out on top moves forward and the loser takes a step back and rebuilds. He is perhaps a level above but if the call came I would take it right now.

“There is no reason why it couldn’t happen. We’re both with Frank Warren and that is a fight I look forward to happening. My team wouldn’t say, ‘no’.

“Apart from Liam Williams the domestic division is wide open. I don’t even think Liam is a middleweight unless that is where he’s staying.

“If he goes back down to super-welterweight it’s wide open. I look at the list every day and I believe I can beat them all.”

But Bentley isn’t overlooking his next opponent Ball, who on paper will be his toughest test since turning professional in October 2017.

Bentley added: “It’s a step up and he has a good record. Physically I’m in shape, but mentally I know I’m fighting a tougher opponent.

“I will show that these guys with good records go the same way as everybody else. I don’t think he is a bad fighter, but nothing special.

“I want to work through the best in Britain,  but you can’t force people to fight. There is no reward for these guys because I’m just coming up.

“They are not avoiding me, just not considering me. When I do get my hands on a title a lot more will be calling my name.”

Daniel Dubois headlines the bill when he meets Ghana’s Ebenezer Tetteh for the vacant Commonwealth heavyweight crown and there will be a world title clash involving WBO flyweight champion Nicola Adams, live on BT Sport.

The card will also feature WBO European super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp who makes his second title defence against Dublin’s Declan Geraghty.

Middleweight banger Denzel Bentley, heavyweight Jonathan Palata, lightweight Mohammad Bilal Ali and precocious bantamweight talent Dennis McCann are also in action.

Exciting prospects Lewis Edmondson, Eithan James and Sam Noakes all make their professional debuts.

Tickets for the September 27 bill at the Royal Albert Hall are available to purchase from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.royalalberthall.com. Prices £40, £50, £75, £100, £150 Ringside.

There is an art to knocking out an opponent- and it seems that Battersea-boxer, Denzel Bentley has really got the knack of it.

The heavy-hitting middleweight searches for victory number ten on April 27th at The SSE Arena, Wembley and he will be hoping to add a ninth knockout to his professional resume.

There isn’t many boxers in the country that can boast a better knockout percentage than Bentley’s and loading up with your punches isn’t the way to approach landing the lethal blow.

“It’s more to do with timing and slowing down my work” explains the 24-year-old.

He continued; “Because, when I first came here [Peacock gym] I was an amateur and it was all about fast work and a high work rate because it’s only 3 rounds.

“So, when I came to the pro’s it was all about settling down, picking my shots more and timing just comes naturally better because you’re thinking about your work.”

Denzel will be in a six round contest when fighting on the undercard to stable-mate Daniel Dubois’ heavyweight bout against Richard Lartey and will be looking to take his undefeated record into double digits.

The Londoner will be hoping another victory on April 27th will be the gateway to fighting for the opportunity to claim a maiden title as a pro.

“The Southern Area title- I’ve been trying to chase that for a while now.

“The English title”- which is currently held by Reece Cartwright and will be defending the belt against Jack Cullen in May- “if the winner is free and I can jump in with one of them, I’d be more than happy to do that!

“In actual reality, I’ll fight for any title to be honest! 50/50 fights- I want them type of opponents.

“I don’t want to be hanging about fighting opponents I am meant to beat because I’m in here everyday training hard- sweating, putting my life into this, making sacrifices- so I don’t want to waste it on meaningless fights. I know you’ve got to build, but I want to get stuck in there.”

Daniel Dubois v Richard Lartey tops the bill at the SSE Arena, Wembley on April 27 on a card that also includes the Commonwealth super middleweight title fight between Lerrone Richards and Tommy Langford, as well as the Southern Area super middleweight title clash between Zak Chelli and Jimmy Smith. WBO European super flyweight champion Sunny Edwards and WBO European super featherweight champion Archie Sharp also feature.

Rangy Super Welterweight talent Hamzah Sheeraz will be back out after his impressive win over Rod Douglas Jnr. Hard hitting middleweight and Peacock gym product Denzel Bentley (9-0) and Belfast amateur middleweight star Caoimhin Agyarko will also return to action. There are Queensberry debuts for unbeaten welterweight Chris Kongo (10-0) and Sheffield middleweight Shakiel Thompson (2-0) – with Thompson being tipped by sparring partner Billy Joe Saunders as a star for the future. Ilford Super Middleweight Umar Sadiq (4-1) also returns as he looks to rebuild after his first career loss. Tunde Ajayi trained lightweight Bilal Ali (1-0) will have his second professional fight after making a successful start to his pro career, with Hoddesdon super lightweight Alfie Price set for his fifth.

Tickets will be priced as £40, £50, £75, £100 and £150 and are now ON SALE to purchase via Eventim, Ticketmaster, the SSE Arena website and AXS.com

FAST-RISING MIDDLEWEIGHT force Denzel Bentley could not hide his delight over signing promotional terms with Frank Warren and joining up with the Hall of Fame promoter’s richly talented team of champions and contenders.

The charismatic 24-year-old from Battersea has built up an 8-0 record to date, with seven of those wins coming via blistering KO.

His first two fights as a professional – under the stewardship of trainers Ray Ball and Martin Bowers – lasted a combined 88 seconds. His third, a revenge mission for an amateur reverse against Ashley Bailey-Dumetz – went into overtime by Bentley standards and was concluded in 98 seconds.

Aside from redoubtable journeyman Christian Hoskin Gomez, who last the full six rounds, none of his subsequent five fights have extended beyond the second round.

“I am excited about it,” said the Peacock Gym protégé. “I found out yesterday and I am so happy about it. It was good news for me when Martin came through with the contract, I signed it and now it is my time.

“It is time for me to get the exposure and to get my name really out there on the scene domestically.

“I am eight fights down the line, I have paid my dues and I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for a while. You need to be patient and this has come at the right time for me.

“I couldn’t ask for any more and I am happy with it,” added the 160-pounder, who believes he is ‘title-ready’ for his entry into the Frank Warren ranks.

“That is the good thing is well, I will be title-ready going onto that platform. I have got to perform going into these fights and then I feel my name will build quite nicely and we’ll get bigger fights.

“It’s good, I’ve had my early learning fights and I want to step up now, but it will be down to the team.”

Denzel will debut for his new team at the Royal Albert Hall on March 8.

“That is the best thing about it – the Royal Albert Hall! When we went there for the press conference I looked around the venue and was very happy to think I would be boxing there.”

You can follow Denzel’s boxing journey on his social media accounts.
Twitter – @2Sharp_d
Instagram – 2sharp_d

Also at the Royal Albert Hall, Nicola Adams OBE will look to make history and be the first female crowned World Champion at the venue as she challenges for the WBO World Flyweight Title against Arely Mucino on International Women’s Day. Daniel Dubois follows in the footsteps of British heavyweight greats to fight at the historic venue and takes on Razvan Cojanu in his tenth fight. Liam Williams makes a first defence of his British middleweight title against Joe Mullender, while Johnny Garton will defend his British Welterweight title against Chris Jenkins. Lucien Reid will fight Indi Sangha in what will be his toughest test to date, with GB Flyweight Harvey Horn, cruiserweight talent James Branch and middleweight banger Denzel Bentley also featuring.

Tickets are priced from £40 and are available to buy via RoyalAlbertHall.com
TICKETS START FROM £40
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