A pair of British middleweights meet in a pivotal domestic showdown.

Queensberry Promotions confirmed three bouts for a May 11 TNT Sports show from York Hall in Bethnal Green, London, UK. Denzel Bentley and Danny Dignum square off for a regional middleweight title in the evening’s main event.

“This is a proper middleweight dust-up between two fighters with it all to prove,” said Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren. “Both have fought at the highest level and both of them are trying to force their way back into the picture.

“Winning the WBO International championship will do just that. I am sure this will be a popular match-up with the fans and it has got all the makings of a York Hall classic.”

Bentley (18-3-1, 15 knockouts) aims to rebound from a disappointing loss to countryman Nathan Heaney.

Their November 18 British middleweight title fight saw the 29-year-old Londoner drop a majority decision.

The untimely setback came one year after Bentley’s strong showing in a twelve-round defeat to Janibek Alimkhanuly. Their WBO middleweight title fight in Las Vegas saw Bentley raise his profile, though he now faces a must-win scenario.

’This is what I am about,” noted Bentley. “I just want to be in fights that people want to see me in. A lot of fighters, maybe because they’ve got a bigger profile than me, just want to swerve the good fights and make money from mediocre fights. That is okay, but it is my job to fight and fights that people are excited about, I am excited about.

“I am a boxing fan so when I see a good fight getting made I am excited. I think about what fights will get fans excited and this is one of them.

“The belt will put the winner straight back in there. I told them I didn’t want no comeback fights – six or eight rounders – I just want to get straight back in there. I’d rather not box than do an eight rounder. I am starting again in terms of rankings and stuff, but I am continuing with good fights.”

Wedged in between the defeats was a first-round knockout of Scotland’s Kieran Smith last April 15 at Copper Box Arena.

Dignum (16-1-1, 9 KOs) has won his last two starts. The most recent came last April 14, also at York Hall in an eight-round decision over Lukasz Maciej.

The modest win streak followed Dignum’s own defeat to Alimkhanuly in Las Vegas. The Essex-based middleweight was stopped inside of two rounds in their May 2022 interim WBO middleweight title fight. Alimkhanuly (15-0, 10 KOs) is now the unified IBF/WBO titlist and The Ring’s No. 1-rated middleweight.

Similar to his countryman’s mindset, there is the realization that a notable win is needed to re-enter the title mix.

“I can’t wait for it,” insisted the 32-year-old Dignum. “I know Denzel very well and I’ve got a lot of respect for him and his team. But this is a real good fight and a genuine 50-50, I think. This is what people want to see and I’ve not really boxed before in a big domestic fight. This will be my first one and I rate Denzel highly and think he is a very good fighter.

“I have been training for a year with no fight so I can’t wait for this. I was thinking about retiring and was on the verge of it. Now this fight has come up and they have given me eight weeks’ notice. You never know what is around the corner in this game.”

Two supporting bouts were also confirmed in Thursday’s announcement.

Southampton’s Ryan Garner (14-0, 8 KOs) puts his regional 130-pound title at stake versus London’s Liam Dillon (13-1-1, 3 KOs). Their ten-round bout marks Garner’s third straight appearance at York Hall, which also housed his June 2016 pro debut.

Nathan Collins (14-0, 7 KOs) meets Italy’s Francesco Grandelli (18-2-2, 4 KOs) in a twelve-round featherweight contest. Collins earned a majority decision over unbeaten countryman Zak Miller on Queensberry’s ‘Magnificent 7’ show last November 18 in Manchester.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Follow @JakeNDaBox

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