DENZEL BENTLEY IS banishing the demons of his bruising British title defeat against Felix Cash by quickly getting himself back to work at the new Peacock Gym in Epping.
Middleweight Bentley, 26, was parted from his treasured Lonsdale belt by Wokingham man Cash when referee Victor Loughlin stepped in to stop proceedings in the third round at York Hall 12 days ago.
While initially devastated over the loss of his belt and unbeaten record, Bentley is now able to look at the bigger picture and accept that in accepting highly competitive fights between unbeaten champions, something has to give.
“I’m alright, I’m good,” reflected the former champion. “I am just getting back to work and getting ready to go again, really. It would be nice and lovely to go through your career undefeated and stuff, but it is what it is.
“I am not one of these guys who has been boxing my whole life and I wasn’t expecting to go through my career without a defeat.
“He was big, but I still felt I could beat him, regardless of the size. I thought I could out-skill him but he made the decision to over-commit to his shots so when I was pulling out he could catch me.
“He obviously stunned me a bit and I do know when I pull out I do it with my hands down. It worked for him and there is nothing I can do about it now.”
Battersea boy Bentley now acknowledges that some sporting perspective is required in dealing with his disappointment.
“If I am being honest with you, I took that loss bad. Because of the way I lost and that I didn’t get to show what I can really do. Nowhere near did I show the best of myself and not even half of what I can do. I was in there, too over-reactive and didn’t get to settle.
“In my mind I thought as the rounds went on I would settle, but I didn’t get the chance to.
“That is probably what is most annoying and I took it really bad. After the fight my family and friends came over to the venue just to make sure I was okay and, at first, I didn’t want to see them. Martin and Ray (trainers) said I can’t do that so I went out and more people turned up.
“My brother said it, ‘you’d have thought someone had died – you lost a fight’, but I took it bad. One hundred per cent I need to put it in a sporting context, I get it, but it was my first loss and it was always going to be hard.
“I don’t plan on losing again and I will always put my all on the line, but I lost a 50-50 and somebody had to lose. A lot of people don’t take these fights. I’ve got to live with it and it doesn’t change my perspective because I still want to be in these fights.
“From the start I wanted to be one of the best in Britain and the only way I can do that is to be in these types of fights. Not by swerving guys and going different routes.”
