[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-denzel-bentley-wbo-middleweight-champion-elevation":82,"category-counts-nav":99,"related-denzel-bentley-wbo-middleweight-champion-elevation":109},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":97,"_path":98},"Bentley inherits WBO belt after Alimkhanuly relinquishes title","denzel-bentley-wbo-middleweight-champion-elevation","long-reads","Long Reads: Boxing","James Chen","Denzel Bentley becomes WBO middleweight champion without throwing a punch after Janibek Alimkhanuly vacates the belt.","2026-07-21 11:31:58","2 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F530e\u002Flive\u002F5ce76460-84ed-11f1-8a12-25ab4abfbe1c.jpg",[93,94,95,96],"Boxing","WBO","Middleweight","Denzel Bentley","## Alimkhanuly vacates WBO belt, Bentley elevated to full champion\n\n**Denzel Bentley** is now WBO middleweight champion. The British contender was elevated to full titleholder after **Janibek Alimkhanuly** relinquished the belt, ending a mandatory standoff that had been building through the sanctioning body's rankings.\n\nAlimkhanuly, the Kazakh southpaw who had held the WBO strap since 2022, walked away from the title rather than face Bentley. At **160 pounds**, Alimkhanuly had become one of the most avoided fighters in the sport, with promoters repeatedly sidestepping his mandatory obligations. His decision to vacate points toward a move up to **168 pounds**, where larger purses and fresher opposition await.\n\nFor Bentley, the elevation comes without a ring walk. No opponent across from him, no final instructions from the corner. The London fighter holds the same belt that would have been contested had Alimkhanuly stayed, and the WBO's records treat the elevation as equivalent to a knockout victory. The distinction matters to fans and critics, but not to the governing body's title registry.\n\n## Bentley's first defense defines the reign\n\nElevation champions carry a burden that conventional titleholders do not. Bentley won the belt through paperwork, and his credibility as champion will be measured by what he does next. A voluntary defense against a recognizable opponent would answer the immediate questions about his legitimacy. The middleweight division retains enough depth that Bentley will not lack willing challengers, several of whom will view him as the most vulnerable titleholder at the weight.\n\nThe WBO's mandatory requirements apply regardless of how the belt was won. Bentley will be expected to face the leading contender in due course, and the rankings that Alimkhanuly froze through years of dominance now open for the fighters who had been locked out.\n\n## Alimkhanuly's next move and the middleweight gap\n\nAlimkhanuly's voluntary departure is the louder story. Fighters do not abandon world titles lightly, and his exit from middleweight signals that the risk-reward math at the weight had shifted. Having cleaned out much of the credible opposition, the Kazakh had little left to gain by remaining unless high-profile unification bouts materialized, and none did.\n\nThe middleweight class has operated without a defining figure in recent years. Alimkhanuly's departure widens that void, and Bentley's ability to fill it depends on what happens in the ring, not on the administrative process that placed the belt around his waist.","\u002Farticles\u002Fdenzel-bentley-wbo-middleweight-champion-elevation",[100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,85,108],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","tennis",[110,124,136],{"id":111,"stem":111,"path":112,"title":113,"category":85,"badge":114,"badgeType":115,"author":116,"authorRole":117,"authorInitials":118,"date":119,"readTime":120,"image":121,"imageAlt":113,"tags":122,"excerpt":123},"tuchel-referee-criticism-reverse-psychology-world-cup-officials","\u002Farticles\u002Ftuchel-referee-criticism-reverse-psychology-world-cup-officials","Tuchel's Refereeing Rant Masks A Tournament Where Officials Have Delivered","Opinion","category","Elena Rossi","SportPulse Contributor","ER","2026-07-08 10:19:39","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002Fb0e3e0d743df6575a976382a7b0bf2757f096f04\u002F119_0_1205_964\u002Fmaster\u002F1205.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=ca81c4a60e586845fb1bbd744a112970","World Cup, FIFA","The England boss's rant stinks of reverse psychology as VAR protocols and on-field decisions have largely held firm under intense tournament pressure.",{"id":125,"stem":125,"path":126,"title":127,"category":85,"badge":128,"badgeType":115,"author":129,"authorRole":117,"authorInitials":130,"date":131,"readTime":132,"image":133,"imageAlt":127,"tags":134,"excerpt":135},"portmarnock-open-championship-ireland-historic-breakthrough","\u002Farticles\u002Fportmarnock-open-championship-ireland-historic-breakthrough","Portmarnock on the Brink of Making Open Championship History","Feature","Marcus Wright","MW","2026-07-16 02:32:21","7 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fportmarnock-open-championship-ireland-historic-breakthrough.webp","The Open, Golf","The R&A is closing in on sending the Open Championship to Dublin's Portmarnock, ending three centuries of British-only hosting.",{"id":137,"stem":137,"path":138,"title":139,"category":85,"badge":15,"badgeType":115,"author":129,"authorRole":117,"authorInitials":130,"date":140,"readTime":141,"image":142,"imageAlt":139,"tags":143,"excerpt":144},"kelly-cates-2am-world-cup-salford-bbc-2026","\u002Farticles\u002Fkelly-cates-2am-world-cup-salford-bbc-2026","Kelly Cates Faces 2am World Cup Reality in Salford","2026-07-01 03:06:34","5 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F13e298e0c2373cb19f4f50816c922c6ab9c61c88\u002F0_1065_2913_2331\u002Fmaster\u002F2913.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=259fe82431c32da4be1a2288539e61ee","World Cup, BBC, Long Reads","BBC presenter Kelly Cates warns the 2026 World Cup risks losing its soul as she prepares to broadcast from Salford at 2am."]