Denzel Bentley vs Hamzah Sheeraz agreed, Fabio Wardley vs David Adeleye ordered

The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) has released its latest championship circular, which features a number of interesting tidbits.

Since Frazer Clarke pulled out of his ordered heavyweight title shot against Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KO) in May, David Adeleye (12-0, 11 KO) gets the call instead. The two have until August 9th to avoid a purse bid and must fight “by the end of December 2023.”

Like Clarke, “Big D” will be taking a big step up if he chooses to accept; he’s never gone past six as a pro, nor beaten anyone more notable than Kamil Sokolowski. Still, the talent’s there. Even if it’s too much, too soon, he’s still just 26 and has plenty of time to rebound.

At 168, Mark Heffron (29-2-1, 23 KO) has the same timetable to fight Jack Cullen (21-4-1, 9 KO). Heffron moved back up to super middleweight after going 0-1-1 against Denzel Bentley (18-2-1, 15 KO) and it’s paid off, resulting in four straight knockouts and a British/Commonwealth title victory over Lennox Clarke. Cullen’s lost two of his last three to Kevin Lele Sadjo and Diego Pacheco, which aren’t exactly damning but don’t inspire a lot of confidence in his chances here.

Speaking of Bentley, he’s been tabbed to defend his middleweight belt against Hamzah Sheeraz (17-0, 13 KO) “following agreement being reached between the parties.” This is a damn fine crossroads bout; Bentley is 5-1 since falling to Felix Cash, the sole loss a competitive one to Janibek Alimkhanuly, while Sheeraz remains among the country’s top prospects at 24 years old.