DENZEL BENTLEY grabbed back his British middleweight title after cracking Brad Pauls’ eye in a brilliant fight.
The 29-year-old Battersea ace dropped the 31-year-old Newquay Bomb in the tenth round and a swelling exploded above his left cheek.
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That moment changed the course of a close and thrilling fight, leaving the judges to call it 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112.
It earned Bentley his old Lonsdale belt back but Pauls deserves immense credit for being one half of perfect battle.
Both men tested the water with smart and safe jabs but things livened up just before the bell.
Bentley’s scary right hand grazed the champ a couple of times and then clipped him causing him to cover up.
But then Pauls detonated his own combination of power punches that clipped Bentley around the whiskers, right on the bell.
Pauls got greedy at the start of the second and over committed on two right hands. The first was punished with a check left-hook and the second earned him an uppercut on the nose.
But the defending champ improved and scored with a couple of his own digs before the bell.
The Cornish and Battersea rival crowds were backing their men with booming chants.
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Bentley couldn’t miss with his jab in the third but Pauls defended against his power punches with skill and composure.
Pauls had grown in confidence by the time the fourth round started, peppering Bentley’s ripped torso with jabs and landing a left hook to his head.
Round five was brilliant for Pauls, he drove crisp shots into Bentley’s gut and, when he lowered his guard to block them, he switched his attack upstairs and whacked him around the chops.
Bentley never looked hurt, his Peacock gym breeds tough boys, but the judges should have seen a clear round for the champ.
Bentley tightened up in the sixth but it was still Pauls on the front foot, setting the pace and piling on pressure.
Round seven was superb as both men showed skill and courage in their attacks and defence,
One side of Wembley arena boomed “Newquay Bomb” while the other side barked back their hero’s nickname “Too Sharp” over and over again.
The eighth and ninth sessions were even and hard to split, gruelling and of brilliant quality.
Pauls was buzzed in the tenth and Bentley swarmed him looking for the ruthless finish. But Pauls was brave and clever and stopped the onslaught.
He then whacked his back into control, landing a handful of right hands.
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But then Bentley landed a couple of innocuous looking blows and Paul had to take a knee and a count. When he rose it was clear his left eye was damaged and Bentley threw a barrage at him until the bell.
The instant swelling looked like a broken eye socket but Pauls came out again for the eleventh and gave it his all in another magnificent round of British boxing but Bentley was now in the driving seat and on course to reclaim his old belt.
And the two absolute heroes gave us another brilliant instalment in the last round, throwing everything they had, and more, until the final bell.
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