Denzel Bentley became the WBO middleweight champion

Britain’s Denzel Bentley has become the outright WBO middleweight champion after Genebek Alimkhanouli relinquished the belt.

WBO Dr, outsider Kazakhstan boxer Alim Khanuli, He was suspended for one year after testing positive for a banned substance, outsider In December, wants to move up to super middleweight.

Bentley, 31, defeated Andrey Saavedra in April to become the interim WBO middleweight champion.

“Great news for Denzel Bentley,” said publicist Frank Warren. “A massive achievement for him, (manager) Martin Bowers and the whole team.

“April said back in the month that he got the opportunity, when it came, it was totally deserved. Congratulations, champion!”

Bentley has 22 wins, three losses and one draw from his 26 professional fights.

A statement from the WBO said that “no mandatory championship defense has been satisfied in the middleweight division for more than two years” and that it “determines whether the champion’s first defense will be mandatory or voluntary at a later ruling”.

It added that the mandatory challenger for the belt was 29-year-old Cuban Yoenly Hernandez.