Denzel Bentley’s knockdown helped him secure a close unanimous decision over Shane Mosley Jr. on Saturday, giving the London middleweight a hard-earned victory in his Zuffa Boxing debut. Bentley won by scores of 96-94, 96-93 and 95-94 after 10 competitive rounds at the Copper Box Arena.

Bentley (23-3-1, 18 KOs) hurt Mosley in the second round, but the American recovered sufficiently to keep the contest close through the final bell. Mosley (23-6, 13 KOs) had talked beforehand about wanting a clear decision victory on the road. Instead, he left with a defeat in which one judge separated the fighters by just a point.

The knockdown was a significant part of the result. On the narrowest card, that extra point supplied Bentley’s winning margin, illustrating how costly a single defensive mistake can become in a closely contested 10-round fight. Bentley’s power gave him a scoring advantage that Mosley’s work across the remaining rounds could not fully erase.

Mosley deserves credit for preventing the early trouble from becoming a stoppage defeat. Bentley has the punching power to finish a hurt opponent, but he could not turn his success into a comfortable evening. The American remained competitive and forced Bentley to keep working rather than allowing him to coast behind the knockdown.

Bentley’s pressure was another factor. Mosley wanted to demonstrate that he could outbox him, but doing so required more than surviving the heavier punches. He needed enough clean work to persuade the judges in rounds where Bentley was advancing and looking to impose his power.

That was the difficulty with Mosley’s pre-fight ambition of winning a wide decision. A fighter can have competitive rounds against a puncher and still lose ground sharply when he gets caught. Once Bentley had scored the knockdown, Mosley had less room to concede close rounds.

The scorecards reflected a competitive contest rather than a dominant performance. All three judges favored Bentley, but none gave him a wide margin. The 95-94 card was particularly tight, and the other two scores also left little room for Bentley to take his foot off the gas.

For Bentley, the victory followed an unsettled period outside the ring. He entered this bout after losing his WBO middleweight title status amid the dispute over his mandatory obligation to Yoenli Hernandez. Beating Mosley gave him a positive start with his new promoter, although this non-title contest did not replace the championship he had lost.

Mosley arrived after stopping Serhii Bohachuk in his previous outing, making this a setback to the momentum he had built. His durability kept him in contention, but the early damage and knockdown left him chasing points in a fight where the margins stayed narrow.

Bentley earned the result through his power and pressure, with the knockdown providing the clearest scoring advantage of the night. Mosley made him work for the decision, but could not produce the clear road victory he had promised.

Welterweight Jack Rafferty (28-0-1, 18 KOs) defeated Hovhannes Martirosyan (20-2, 12 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision to claim the vacant IBO title. The judges scored it 116-111, 116-111 and 114-113 after a hard-fought contest that saw both men land heavy punches.

Martirosyan boxed effectively off the back foot and enjoyed lengthy spells of success, while Rafferty kept pressing and throwing in volume. Rafferty scored a disputed knockdown in the 12th, with the incident drawing questions over whether a push had sent Martirosyan through the ropes.

That call proved crucial on the closest card, where Rafferty finished just one point ahead. Martirosyan’s late fade allowed Rafferty to finish strongly, but the unbeaten favorite had to work through a much tougher fight than the two wider scores suggested.

Bradley Rea (23-2, 12 KOs) knocked out Ezra Taylor (13-2, 9 KOs) in the second round to retain his WBA Inter-Continental light heavyweight title. The scheduled 10-round contest ended abruptly as Rea punished Taylor’s decision to trade early.

Taylor was dropped and appeared unsteady, raising questions about whether the referee should have ended the fight sooner. Rea finished the job with a heavy knockout, handing Taylor his second consecutive defeat. Taylor’s own punching power offered little protection once Rea had him hurt.

Coming off a stoppage win over Liam Cameron, Rea delivered another decisive finish to strengthen his position in the division.

Gully Powar (14-1-1, 1 KO) captured the vacant British featherweight title with a unanimous technical decision over Zak Miller (17-2, 3 KOs). The judges scored it 96-95, 97-94 and 96-94 after the scheduled 12-round contest was halted in the 10th.

Severe swelling on Miller’s forehead from accidental head clashes prompted the doctor to stop the fight and send it to the scorecards. Powar’s persistent pressure and punch volume helped him edge a competitive contest, with both fighters landing quality shots.

Miller remained willing to fight, but the swelling prevented him from getting the final two rounds to overturn Powar’s lead. Powar secured the Lonsdale Belt at his second attempt after drawing with Rhys Edwards in his previous British title challenge.

Middleweight Stephen Clarke (11-0, 2 KOs) defeated Harley Collison (3-10-2) by an eight-round points decision. Referee Steve Gray scored it 80-72, awarding Clarke every round. The Liverpool prospect controlled the contest and took a clear victory over the experienced Southampton fighter.

Collison completed the distance, giving the 25-year-old Clarke eight rounds of work. A former national amateur champion, Clarke is trained by Stephen “Swifty” Smith and managed by Paul Smith. This was another step in his professional education, although stronger opposition will provide a better measure of his progress.

Junior middleweight John Joe Carrigan (5-0, 5 KOs) stopped Cheikh Diop (6-2) in the fourth round to maintain his perfect knockout run. The 19-year-old southpaw secured the finish against an opponent who had previously lost only by decision.

Diop entered with more professional experience but became the fifth fighter unable to go the distance with Carrigan. The Carlisle teenager turned professional in late 2025 after winning gold at the Under-19 World Championships.

He trains in Hartlepool and has carried his amateur success into a promising start with Queensberry Promotions. The official time of the stoppage was not immediately available.

Tony Yoka (16-3, 12 KOs) defeated Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko (10-21-1, 7 KOs) by a six-round points decision in their heavyweight bout. The reported score was 59-55 for the Frenchman.

Yoka controlled the contest, although the Ukrainian veteran took him the distance. Dovbyshchenko has also gone the rounds with Moses Itauma, making this a predictable opportunity for Yoka to get some work.

The 2016 Olympic gold medalist is rebuilding after consecutive defeats to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy. This victory kept that process moving, but beating an opponent with Dovbyshchenko’s record offers little evidence of how Yoka would fare against contenders.

Javokhir Ummataliev (3-0, 1 KO) defeated Atacayte Santana (4-4-2, 1 KO) by a six-round points decision in super middleweight action. The referee scored it 60-54, giving the Uzbek all six rounds. Ummataliev controlled the contest and secured a clear win in his third professional appearance.

Santana completed the distance after entering as a clear underdog. The 21-year-old Ummataliev arrived in the professional ranks with a strong amateur background, including a 2025 World Championship gold medal. After stopping Damian Drabik in two rounds in his previous outing, he gained more rounds of professional experience against Santana.

Super middleweight prospect Alex Arthur Jr. (6-0, 1 KO) defeated Jose Aguirre (2-32, 1 KO) by a six-round points decision. Referee Steve Gray scored the contest 60-54, awarding Arthur every round.

The 24-year-old Scot controlled the fight and finished with a clear victory over the experienced Costa Rican. Aguirre completed the distance, giving Arthur six rounds of work in his sixth professional outing.

Arthur is the son of former WBO super featherweight champion Alex Arthur. The win provided more experience, although Aguirre’s lengthy losing streak limits what it tells us about the unbeaten prospect.

Tumi Phillips (7-1, 1 KO) defeated Angelo Dragone (10-17-1) by decision in their super lightweight bout. The referee scored it 40-37 for Phillips.

Phillips controlled the contest and was a clear winner at the finish. The younger fighter produced a solid showing against an opponent with considerably more professional experience.

Dragone heard the final bell after suffering a stoppage defeat in his previous outing. No knockdowns were reported, with Phillips taking the victory without any major drama. The official score was not immediately available.