WBO sets September 29 purse bid for Denzel Bentley-Yoenli Hernandez

The WBO has scheduled a September 29 purse bid for Denzel Bentley’s mandatory middleweight title defence against Yoenli Hernandez after the two sides failed to reach an agreement. The minimum bid for the 12-round contest has been set at $200,000.

Bentley and Hernandez were given a negotiating period after the unbeaten Cuban was formally confirmed as the mandatory challenger on September 4. A deal can still be reached before the purse bid; otherwise, the winning bidder will secure the promotional rights to the fight.

The order has interrupted Bentley’s plans for his first defence as full champion. The Londoner had been pursuing a unification fight with IBF champion Aaron McKenna, while a more lucrative voluntary defence against Conor Benn had also been touted.

Bentley’s manager, Martin Bowers, argued that his fighter’s mandatory period should have begun only when he was elevated from interim to full champion in July. The WBO determined that the overdue obligation remained attached to the title, leaving Bentley to face Hernandez next or relinquish the belt.

Bentley had already acknowledged that negotiations could end in a purse bid.

“I don’t know how it will turn out, if I’m being honest,” he said. “If they can get something done, they get something done. If not, then, obviously, the WBO will force the purse bids. It can only go one or two ways from here.”

The 31-year-old has also questioned Hernandez’s elevation to mandatory challenger, pointing to the Cuban’s limited professional experience.

“It’s mental how he’s mandatory when he’s never had a 12-rounder,” Bentley told The Ring. “In fact, he’s never fought an eliminator and has only had 11 fights.”

Hernandez has nevertheless moved quickly since turning professional in May 2022, having previously won two amateur world championships at 75kg. The 29-year-old outpointed Kyrone Davis over 10 rounds in May 2025, stopped Ramon De La Cruz Sena in the first round five months later and became the first man to stop former world-title challenger Terrell Gausha with a fourth-round victory in March.

He most recently defeated Francisco Daniel Veron by majority decision in August, improving his record to 11-0 with nine knockouts.

Bentley, 22-3-1 (18 KOs), claimed the interim WBO title by stopping Endry Saavedra in the seventh round at London’s O2 Arena on April 4. The victory extended his winning run to four fights, three of them by stoppage, following his upset defeat by Nathan Heaney.

His elevation followed a prolonged period of uncertainty around Janibek Alimkhanuly. The Kazakh tested positive for meldonium before his planned December 2025 unification fight with Erislandy Lara and was subsequently suspended by the WBO, while the IBF stripped him of its title.

Alimkhanuly remained WBO champion until July, when he vacated after deciding to move to super-middleweight. Bentley was then elevated from interim champion to full title-holder.

The purse bid comes with Bentley operating as a promotional free agent. He hopes to continue working with Queensberry Promotions but is open to other offers. Hernandez is managed by Dream Bigg Management and has recently fought predominantly on Premier Boxing Champions and TGB Promotions cards.

Unless the parties reach a late agreement, the September 29 purse bid will decide who promotes the fight and may also determine where Bentley makes his first defence of the full WBO title.