Denzel Bentley is keeping it real and wants to prove his worth in the middleweight division

When Denzel Bentley lost his British title to Nathan Heaney his hopes of another world title took a step forward. However, his impressive win against Danny Dignum and possibly another against Derrick Ozaze have not only kept him active but also put together some great fights in the middleweight division. The second WBO contender spoke to Boxing News about keeping his feet on the ground and why he needs to earn the right to get back to where he was a few years ago.

Interview by Shaun Brown

BN: Since you and Derrick Ozaze are both in London have you met before?

DB: Yes, we have many mutual friends so I know him personally. We have been doing it for the past six years. He came down all week to see his family, and he was in the gym all week, so we held back that week.

It's funny because I was telling someone a few weeks before I found out that we might be texting each other. When it came out, I was like, man, it's weird, but listen, it's like that.

BN: I remember talking to you after your win against Kieran Smith and you were upset about not moving in your career. You must be happy to fight again and again.

DB: Certainly. I enjoy working. We're always in the gym, working hard and stuff, because there's a lot of people in the gym and somebody might have a day, so I'll be doing their camp and stuff. I'm always in the gym, I'm always ready to go, I'm always ready to fight. It's not like I take a lot of time off after fights and have to get back into shape.

I'm always in good shape and like I've said a million times, I like to compete, I like to fight. I enjoy it. So when I'm not working it's like I'm wasting time in the gym and I could be doing something else, spending time with family or doing something, but I'm in the gym waiting for a day and not getting one. It can be really frustrating. I dedicate most of my time and my life to sports and I don't have much time for it. I want to do everything now as much as possible, so that when I leave this game, I can be satisfied with how my career has gone.

BN: He beat Danny Dignum and is expected to beat Ozaze. If you happen to win on Saturday you should definitely hit the Queensberry door looking for a big fight.

DB: To be honest, I understand my position. If I had called [Nathan] Heaney, I would have been there. I know I had to fight back [Danny] Dignum and that was a great game and I showed it was just the night against Heaney. I'm a contender in the middleweight division, but that's only one fight. I have to do it again before I start saying, cool, now can we go on again? I understand the backlash.

I understand that I have to take a step back to move forward and that's what I'm doing. With this fight, it's a good fight. Ozaze is a good fighter. He is a good fighter. I am expected to win because I am more popular than him. He's just not very well known.

So it's like, oh, who is this guy? But he is a tough fighter. He is a good fighter. He is strong and athletic. I think this might be a dog fight, but any kind of fight, I have to make sure I raise my hand at the end of it. I can't take him lightly and buy another slip. I have to get past this and start asking other questions like how do I move forward.

BN: You spoke about knowing your position, which is the most reliable and true test. Have you always been a realist?

DB: Yes, 100%. You have to be realistic in life. We all have expectations. We all want to be places and we all want to be at the top of whatever we do. But you have to ask yourself, are you worth it? What did you do to deserve it? In this game, you will have to cheat a little bit.

You have to feel like you are the best so that you can compete with the best. I don't doubt that, but you also have to understand your journey and your position. As I've said a million times, I didn't come in the traditional way of boxing. I arrived late. I didn't do much as a novice. So I started in small projects, then Frank took over [Warren] because of the relationship and we jumped on the show at the last minute and I was impressed.

I was not expected to do anything. So why do I feel like someone needs to push me just because I feel like I should? I have to prove my worth. I know I feel important, but I have to show everyone what I feel important and what I feel I can do. And I feel like the more you deal with reality, the less angry you'll be. I know I'm a good fighter, but I also understand my position. I understand that I have to prove myself.

I have to find opportunities and take them and win. Just because I think I'm a fighter doesn't mean I have to be put here, there and there. I have to earn my right to be included in these positions. That being said, I feel like there are plenty of fighters in good positions who have something to help push them. They may sell more tickets or have social media. But I don't just see that they are not fighting for the people they think they are but other things that have authorized them to be in that position. I'm not big on social media. I'm not a big outdoor person.

BN: We just saw your old rival Nathan Heaney lose to Brad Pauls. And Tyler Denny got the biggest win of his career against Felix Cash. Did you expect those results?

DB: To be honest, I thought Pauls would win the first fight, then he drew. Then I thought, coming back, Heaney must know what he's done and Heaney is going to hit him.

It was an interesting fight. I think when he dumped Heaney, the fight was going to be in Brad Pauls favor. I think the first three laps it was Heaney and I thought, yeah, he's running away with this.

When he put down, Brad Pauls started to win me almost every round from there and then stopped him in the end. Cash and Tyler Denny, I didn't expect that. I thought Cash would get him, but it was like, how good is Cash? How fresh are you? He has been unemployed for a long time. You have a new coach, how is everything going? But because of the level at which we saw Cash box, I expected Cash to beat him on points. I didn't think he was going to stop him with points. So when I saw Tyler beat him, I know it was stopped by a cut, but he was winning all my rounds.

BN: Do you expect another upset from Tyler against Hamzah Sheeraz?

DB: I know it sounds crazy because I doubt him too, but Hamzah is a different kind of fighter. Cash is talented and beautiful, but misbehaving. He doesn't work, he doesn't really discipline. You live a carefree life outside of boxing and as you get older, it all catches up with you. You can't handle all that stress. Hamzah is the opposite, especially in the ring.

I think it will be difficult to break through Hamzah's defense. It will be difficult to break him and box him without rhythm. He made him do something he doesn't usually do because he disciplined himself and listened to his coaches. If his coach says one thing, he will go out and do it. Like the Ammo Williams fight, he was caught with a big left hand. He trembled, he did not panic. He just stayed in his shell, waited until the storm passed and then started throwing guns and caught them in the middle. I think it will be a fight like this.