Brad Pauls and Denzel Bentley were calm and composed yet business-like as they came face to face at the final press conference for their crucial fight this weekend. 

There is a lot at stake on Saturday. The winner will leave the ring with the British and European middleweight title belts slung over their shoulders, but there is an even bigger prize up for grabs.

Pauls, the defending British champion, is ranked at number two with the WBO, while Bentley sits at number one. The winner will cement their position as the mandatory challenger to unified WBO and IBF champion Janibek Alimkhanuly. 

Both men know what awaits the winner of this weekend’s fight but both are also keenly aware of the danger posed by the fighter in the opposite corner. This is a high risk, high reward fight for both men. 

“I'm grateful, I'm happy, and I've got to do a job December 7th before I can think about anything that's after or world title shots,” said two-time British champion Bentley, 20-3-1 (17 KOs). “There's a man in front of me that's very motivated and wants the same thing I do, so I've got to go to work.”

Bentley has scored a number of devastating early finishes over British opponents. However, in the build up to this fight, he has stated that he would like to make Pauls quit. Rather than casting doubts on Pauls’ heart of self belief, the declaration is a sign of just how tough a task Bentley has prepared for. 

“That just means punishment. It means punishment,” Bentley said. “He's a tough guy, he's not going to go from one shot, so I'm going to have to keep hitting him and hitting him and hitting him. It's just punishment. That's what I'm looking for.”

Pauls, 19-1-1 (11 KOs), has had a tremendous year. Always a popular fighter on the small hall circuit, this will be his third headline appearance of 2024. In March he had to settle for a draw with Nathan Heaney, but he then ripped the British title away from the champion in an exciting rematch.

Now, he has the chance to add the European title to his trophy cabinet and, even more importantly, secure his first world title shot.

“It's a chain of fortunate events that has led to this moment,” Pauls said. “Best year of my career, most momentum I've had, and it just keeps getting better with the European title being added.

“I feel this fight's probably above British level. I'd say Denzel's above British level, definitely, so I'm glad the European was added; and now the incentive of the world title. It feels right.

“I was motivated anyway, but it just adds that extra bit for both of us.”

Pauls does have a tactical puzzle to solve. His natural way is to be aggressive, walk forward and engage. Time and time again, Bentley has proven that he is adept at capitalising on his opponent’s mistakes and finishing fights in the blink of an eye. Having come this far, Pauls isn’t going to change his style now. He believes that he has grown since becoming British champion and is sure that he has what it takes to score a life-changing victory. 

“It's what I said after the first Heaney draw: I needed to improve to win. I went away, I improved, I've beaten Heaney, and now I have to improve again to beat Bentley on Saturday night,” he said. 

“You can't change who you are. I fight the way I fight; Denzel fights the way he fights. He has his strengths and he has his weaknesses. So do I. I listen to my coach, we do the drills, we know what works, and we'll apply that. Denzel will do the same. If I was a fan looking at this fight, I would be interested in how it would go.

“We both want the same outcome; we're both more similar than we are different. Denzel wants a world title; Denzel wants a European. So do I. Denzel hits hard, so do I. So yeah, I think the styles are going to gel. It's going to be a good fight.”

This time last year Bentley was picking up the pieces after suffering a shock loss to Nathan Heaney. He arrived in Manchester distracted by the premature birth of his son and lost his belt by split decision. The 29-year-old has spent the past year rebuilding and, having worked his way back into major title fights, is determined to focus solely on the job at hand.

Bentley has wanted another shot at Janibek since dropping a decision to the Kazakh back in 2022, but any talk of a rematch will have to wait until after Saturday night. 

“It doesn't matter, man, I've got a job to do,” he said. “Doesn't matter right now.

“Man, I never really looked past opponents anyway, but it just don't matter right now. I can't keep talking about it. What am I talking about a world title shot for? I've got Brad in front of me. I’ve still got to win the European and win the British, don't I? So, don't mean nothing right now.”

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X