Bentley defeats Mosley by unanimous decision in London

Denzel Bentley defeated Shane Mosley Jr. by unanimous decision in their 10-round middleweight bout at London’s Copper Box Arena, using a second-round knockdown to help secure the judges’ verdict. The fight took place Saturday, November 7, and all three judges scored it for Bentley: two had it 96-94 and one 96-93.

Bentley dropped Mosley with a right cross in the second round. Mosley got back up, recovered and continued, then worked his way into the contest. He pressed forward and had productive stretches, including in the middle rounds, while Bentley relied on counterpunches and at times gave ground. The knockdown remained a key scoring moment in the close-fought bout.

The win came after Bentley lost the WBO middleweight title. A report said the sanctioning body stripped him after he chose to face Mosley rather than mandatory challenger Yoenli Hernandez. Bentley had sought permission for a voluntary defense against Mosley before facing Hernandez, but the request was rejected, according to that account. The supplied reporting does not include a WBO decision document.

After the fight, Bentley said he wanted another world-title opportunity and called out Conor Benn, who was seated at...