Brad Pauls vs Denzel Bentley LIVE RESULTS: Newquay Bomb LOSES epic title clash while Okolie WINS with a brutal KO

Adeleye: Back to the gym, got a lot to do

After his first-round knockout win over Solomon Dacres to claim English honours, David Adeleye celebrated with his big team ringside before being more reflective on what's next.

"I still got a lot to do… going back to the gym, got a big future ahead of me - know where I can go and got the steps to go there. Adam had me grafting from the basics, there were times he wouldn't even take me on the pads."

His aforementioned head coach Adam Booth meanwhile, commended a "phenomenal" athlete whose bad habits have been gradually tweaked since they started working together.

"It all starts from the floor, we have done so much work with [his] legs. I've worked with some of the biggest punchers, his jab and lead left is as hard as I've taken on the pads."

Okolie: Usyk, Haye? I'm bigger than both

Post-fight after Okolie's first-round demolition job against an overmatched opponent, Frank Warren mentioned Oleksandr Usyk and David Haye as two cruiserweights who were successful when moving up to heavyweight and Okolie was quickly bullish in response.

"I'm bigger [physically] than both of them, get myself in these fights and I'll show it."

Haye has been happily retired since 2018 but was unified cruiserweight world champion before moving up to win WBA heavyweight gold in 2009, while Usyk became undisputed in two weight divisions earlier this year with his thrilling 12-round decision win over the previously-unbeaten fellow champion Tyson Fury.

Their eagerly-anticipated rematch will take place in two weeks' time and many insiders believe the unified heavyweight titles are bound to fragment, regardless of who prevails on Saudi shores on Dec. 21.

Okolie makes statement on QP debut

It's not lost on me and, hopefully you from this picture, that the KO from Okolie's fight night shorts is purposefully emblazoned in gold.

He pledged to produce a big statement on his Queensberry debut during last month's press conference and promised it'd be a stoppage inside the first-half of their 10-round contest, delivering.

Muhamed was a previous sparring partner but one he warned must've been forgettable, considering he didn't remember sharing the ring in training while under the Team GB banner.

"This is the best I've felt in my career," Okolie insisted last month and while his body transformation has naturally drawn criticism for just how drastically he's gained 60lbs - not all muscle - in a year, some sharp strength-and-conditioning would do him the world of good.

Elsewhere on the card...

Royston Barney-Smith improved to 13-0 with his fourth knockout victory over the past 12 months, this time dropping and eventually stopping 12-2 pro Andres Navarrete in five rounds (2:57).

The 20-year-old super-featherweight, one of many in the gym of highly-regarded coach Ben Davison, has benefited from a refreshing activity spell and will now continue looking to build against tougher opposition before contesting domestic titles sooner rather than later.

Janibek rematch or not, Bentley bracing himself

Janibek Alimkhanuly's ninth-round stoppage win over Andrei Mikhailovich in Australia on Oct. 4 saw him retain the IBF crown while the WBO claimed their world championship title would be declared vacant - that hasn't happened - in the event of another Janibek win.

Sheeraz-Bentley was mooted for a vacant WBO strap in the event of more disagreements between Janibek and the sanctioning body but Hamzah instead will fly to Saudi in the new year, facing WBC titleholder Carlos Adames on a stacked Feb. 22 show.

It means the hard-hitting Kazakh remains unified world champion at 160lbs and while many have suggested he'll move up to super-middleweight in the new year, Denzel doesn't care either way.

"I got the [Janibek] opportunity at a last-minute callup, already had a fight booked and who's gonna say no to Las Vegas on short-notice? I promised I would get back to that level, would do it the right way and now waiting for a mandatory call, rather than being picked up off the shelf [as a voluntary defence]."

Bentley: I'm best when I'm active

The old adage is, an active boxer is a happy one and Denzel has now headlined three different Queensberry shows in the space of six months after a stunning defeat by Nathan Heaney last November.

"I showed different crafts to my style, three fights in a year, world title shot next and let's go!"

He retains top billing with the WBO after this UD12 victory, having secured a pair of second-round stoppages against Danny Dignum and Derrick Osaze at York Hall three months apart. Rebuild complete!

Warren: Bentley now gotta win that world title!

Warren on Bentley's latest performance and what's next...

"He done what he had to do, will get a [world title] shot in early 2025 after boxing well in a competitive fight.

Brad comes to fight and win, it takes two to make a good fight and they both done extremely well. You've got to give credit to Brad, fought keenly and it was enjoyable but moving forward for Denzel, now he's gotta do what he should've done in the first fight [against Janibek in November 2022] and win that world title!"

Bentley: Death by a thousand jabs

More of newly-crowned British, European and WBO International middleweight champion Denzel Bentley's post-fight comments… as the Magnificent Seven London card debrief continues overnight.

"The whole camp we've drilled jabs, the lead hand found a home every time. We called it death by a thousand jabs and I did that!"

The 29-year-old boxed well in stages and his jab proved too hot to handle for a defending champion who didn't get going early enough.

Pauls taking heart from Bentley's rebuild

The 250-mile trip in horrendous weather conditions wouldn't have been easy for those travelling Brad Pauls supporters but while their man didn't get the job done tonight, they can be proud.

"Shoutout to the Cornish, we stick together. It's never been done before and you're part of it [this journey], if you support me then I'll keep fighting. My goals are the same, I'll come back. Denzel has lost before and came back, so I'll dust myself off and go again in 2025."

Bentley grateful for belief shown in him

Denzel Bentley is now a three-time British middleweight champion but more importantly, successfully retained his #1 ranking with the WBO and will almost certainly box for world honours again in 2025.

Whether that's against former foe Janibek Alimkhanuly is unclear, with speculation suggesting the hard-hitting Kazakh would prefer a super-middleweight move after years of boiling down to 160lbs.

Nevertheless, this wasn't a vintage Bentley performance in a competitive fight but he did enough to win and was buoyed by a purposeful start where you could argue he led by 3-4 rounds before Pauls really got going and had the crowd cheering Newquay Bomb.

"Brad's a tough guy but I gotta thank my team and Frank Warren for bringing me back, always believing in me. I said I wasn't gonna knock him out with one punch but think I outboxed him … gave him two rounds, had to show levels and I did that."

Bentley's strong finish pivotal!

117-110, 116-111, 115-112: Denzel Bentley bt. Brad Pauls via UD12 to become British, WBO International and EBU European middleweight champion.

115-112 I could see, the other two scorecards felt wide after a competitive fight that felt on a knife edge until *that* knockdown.

Surprised two of the judges had it so big for Denzel, though Brad only has himself to blame after a lethargic start in fairness.

Pauls Bentley R12

The final stanza begins and on my scorecard, it's still all to play for - both can't be confident with how the fight has unfolded. Pauls started slow but got going after conceding a 3-0 head start, while Bentley's jab got him back into a fight he was trailing in the ninth.

Pauls pounds body shots and Bentley fires back with a plethora of left-hand jabs, the champion looks exhausted and holds... they exchange in the corner to finish a frantic finale.

Denzel won the last two rounds for me, I've got Denzel by one but something tells me Pauls wins a split decision here. Let's see!

Pauls Bentley R11

It was a double left-hand jab that floored the champion, in a round he was leading... now it's all to play for again.

10-8 round at this juncture could prove critical if this goes the distance, especially if Bentley can stay on top and finish strong after a suspect middle.

Pauls trying his best to keep it at short-range and lands good scoring shots with single overhands but Bentley's jab has kept him honest before a barrage of punishment finishes the penultimate round.

Pauls Bentley R10

Bentley briefly shows some of that much-needed intensity to start the ninth, Pauls replies with some good work of his own as Bentley paws at his nose repeatedly - perhaps an injury there - but just as you start to wonder... Bentley scores a knockdown out of nowhere!

Drama in the final minute, Pauls survives though.

Pauls Bentley R9

Bentley's nickname is 2Sharp but he looks frustratingly blunt right now, circling around the ring and not offering enough to dismiss Pauls from applying pressure in a bout he was once leading.

Pauls is sternly warned for rabbit punching in the clinch during another competitive round, punctuated by the champion unloading a six-punch combo in centre ring.

Bentley is being beaten to the punch and in a fight where he's battling vociferous support, he needs some urgency.

Pauls Bentley R8

Pauls needs to step on the accelerator and seize this lull from Bentley as long as it lasts because, well, you never quite know what to expect.

Pauls has found a home for the jab and Bentley doesn't look too convincing, almost a little gun shy to throw his bigger punches now.

Linus Udofia, who lost a split decision over twelve rounds against Bentley three years ago, is one of Pauls' closest friends and was very pleased with that last stanza. I make it 5-3 in favour of the champion by that token, maybe 4-4 through eight rounds.

Pauls Bentley R7

Into the second-half of this contest they go, punches in bunches is the cry from Pauls' support team as the crowd surge in favour of a champion who needs some encouragement right about now.

Why? He's begun this round getting his head pinged back, repeatedly, for the first minute and Bentley is doing a better job of making him miss with wild forward forays failing to find its mark.

Bentley threatens with a double uppercut, Pauls responds with more powerful advances and this is definitely a swing round. Bentley won the first-half, Pauls the second... 4-3 either way.

Pauls Bentley R6

Bentley content to box off the back foot in sequences and now Pauls is the aggressor, his support team urging him not to wait and punch whenever the distance between them closes.

Three stiff jabs to finish the stanza for Denzel, but he's not as active as before and Pauls can sense a momentum shift. It genuinely feels like the tide is starting to turn... 3-3 through 18 minutes from me.

Pauls Bentley R5

That was probably Pauls' best round and by that assessment, it's 3-1 to the challenger. Almost as if he can read my writing, he's starting to find his mojo and being more active - punching with Bentley - inviting danger but by the same token having sustained success.

When they're boxing up close, that sorta scrappy style suits the champion far more than having Bentley piece him up at distance.

Dare I say... 3-2? This is getting interesting.

Pauls Bentley R4

Bentley starts the fourth with a short left hand that lands flush, he's starting to find his rhythm and Pauls needs to offset this with more of the counterpunching brilliance that saw Heaney unseat Bentley twelve months ago.

Easier said than done when you don't move as smoothly as the Stoke man did that night, but doubling up behind his jab would help - right on cue he does - then lands two more lefts.

It's a nip-and-tuck stanza, Battersea's Bentley investing downstairs and the Wembley crowd throwing every punch with a defending champion 250 miles down south.

Pauls Bentley R3

Into the third they go, Bentley catches the champion clean with a disguised looping left and it's a timely reminder Pauls can't afford to just press forward at will - he's got to pick his moments better.

Both swing wildly and while it looks good on TV, nothing landed to unsettle either man as Bentley flicks out the jab and unloads one-twos. Even if they're not all landing, he's far more active and in a 12-round contest, this early tempo suits the challenger far more.

Pauls Bentley R2

Newquay Bomb chants aren't too far away but neither is Bentley's piercing jab or his right hand from a champion standing exactly where he wants him.

An overhand right catches the challenger's attention in the final half-minute but Pauls' activity isn't enough to deter this pressure now.

Pauls Bentley R1

They waste no time with their respective ringwalks, meaning business as both stride into position raring to go.

We'll soon see if Pauls has progressed even more after snatching British honours away from Nathan Heaney in July, against a two-time former champ finding form again and is the better boxer on paper.

It'll be interesting to see whether the atmosphere, in favour of the champion, influences the judges during their cagier rounds like this opening stanza - Bentley trying to close the distance against Pauls, who hasn't fully got his legs under him yet and is wary of the jab.

Pauls partially lands a whizzing right, both connect on crowd-pleasing shots to finish a competitive stanza but Bentley edges that for me.

With that... main event time!

Denzel Bentley making his ringwalk now... you ready?