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‘Email Champ’ Never Won It or Defended It, Now Vacates for Zuffa

Denzel Bentley is set to become the latest champion to drop a sanctioning body title to secure his future with Zuffa Boxing. Bentley will reportedly vacate the WBO middleweight title rather than accept the terms of a purse bid for…

Published: Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 11:56 AM
‘Email Champ’ Never Won It or Defended It, Now Vacates for Zuffa
Key Things to Know
  • Denzel Bentley is reportedly vacating his WBO middleweight title to sign with Zuffa Boxing.
  • Bentley bypassed a $160,000 mandatory defense purse against Yoenli Hernandez won by Warriors Boxing Promotions.
  • Zuffa reportedly offered Bentley $500,000 for a unification bout against Aaron McKenna.
The Story in 60 Seconds

Denzel Bentley is reportedly set to vacate his WBO middleweight title to sign a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing. Bentley chose to walk away rather than proceed with a mandatory defense against Yoenli Hernandez, after Warriors Boxing Promotions won the purse bid with an offer of $200,000 that would have paid him $160,000 before deductions.

In contrast, Zuffa reportedly offered Bentley $500,000 for a potential unification bout against Aaron McKenna. Bentley is scheduled to make his return on the Chris Billam-Smith vs. Chev Clarke undercard in London on November 7, following similar moves to Zuffa by Jai Opetaia and Noel Mikaelian.

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