Danny Dignum insists that a victory over Denzel Bentley will revitalise his career. The middleweights meet in a genuine crossroads fight on May 11 and the Londoner knows that it is a fight he must win.
Both men came up short in their fights with now unified WBO and IBF middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly, but they each left Las Vegas with wildly different tales to tell.
Whereas Bentley, 18-3-1 (15 KOs), recovered from a slow start to push Alimkhanuly hard over the second half of their fight and emerge with his reputation enhanced, things didn’t go as well for Dignum, 16-1-1 (9 KOs). The Londoner was never allowed to find his feet and was taken out in the second round by the quality Kazakh in May 2022.
Dignum returned with low profile back-to-back wins last year but has been waiting for a meaningful fight and the chance to erase the memory of the defeat to Alimkhanuly.
“I’ve been in the gym for a long time and nothing’s been happening. The fight got presented to me and I accepted it straight away. I need a fight,” Dignum told Queensberry.
“It can open a lot of doors for me. It’s a 50-50 fight. The winner goes on to some big things, I think, like the British and European titles. That’s what gives me the drive and is the reason I accepted this fight.”
If the contest with Alimkhanuly was a slightly unexpected opportunity to gatecrash the world scene, Dignum believes that the fight with Bentley will truly define which way his career goes. Bentley himself is in desperate need of a victory after losing his British middleweight title to Nathan Heaney last November.
Dignum has weighed up the benefits of a win but is also fully aware of the potential ramifications were he to lose. The fight represents a make or break night in the 32-year-old’s career but it isn’t one he is stepping into blindly.
“I know Denzel and I’ve shared the ring many times with him in sparring. He’s a very, very good fighter but I’m gonna be prepared and come and give it my best,” he said.
“I’ve been sparring him since he first turned pro back in 2017. I’ve got a lot of respect for Denzel. Over the years we’ve had many good spars, some in his favor, some in my favor. That’s what’s gonna make it an interesting fight.
“I can only speak for myself but I still think I’ve got a lot to give in boxing. I still feel fresh. I feel good. For me, a loss would probably mean retirement and I’m not ready to retire yet. I’ve still got the drive and ambition so I have to win this fight.”
