Denzel Bentley to vacate WBO title for Zuffa Boxing deal

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) announced that Warriors Boxing Promotions won the purse bid for the mandatory middleweight title defense between champion Denzel Bentley and challenger Yoenli Hernandez. The winning bid was set at $200,000, which would have allocated $160,000 to Bentley and $40,000 to Hernandez.

However, reports indicate that Bentley has chosen to sign a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing instead of proceeding with the WBO title defense. Bentley is expected to relinquish his middleweight title to pursue this new commitment, which includes a scheduled bout in London on November 7. This decision leaves the undefeated Cuban challenger, Yoenli Hernandez, without a title opportunity and shifts Bentley's career trajectory away from the traditional WBO mandatory obligations.