Shortly after he was elevated from interim to full WBO middleweight champion, the sanctioning body ordered Bentley to face No. 1-ranked contender Yoenli Hernandez.

After failing to reach an agreement, the WBO held a purse bid on September 29. Warriors Boxing — the lone bidder — submitted a winning proposal of $200,000. However, instead of facing Hernandez (11-0, 9 KOs), Bentley signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing. He’s slated to return to the ring on November 7 against Shane Mosley Jr. at Copper Box Arena in Middlesex, United Kingdom.

From Bentley’s point of view, it was a misunderstanding, and he petitioned the WBO not to strip him of the belt he’s pursued throughout his entire career. 

"I'm more than happy to fight Hernandez. It's just the situation at hand. We already thought we were fighting a voluntary defense before the end of the year and put things in place for that. This has been thrown on us," Bentley told Sky Sports.

"It just makes it a difficult place for me to be in. I don't want to vacate, and I don't want to be stripped of my title. But I have to move forward in my career, and I cannot wait around for people to make decisions for me."

Bentley (22-3-1, 18 KOs) also argued why his appeal should be granted.

“I think we do have a good case. I did become champion, and in their rulings you get nine months from when you become champion until your mandatory gets called on,” Bentley continued. “We've been fighting this case from before it went to purse bids.

“I think we've got a strong enough case for us to keep our title, and if we can keep the title on the line for this fight, it would be an honor for me and an honor for Shane Mosley Jr. getting a shot at a world title, and he could potentially become world champion. Not on my watch, I'm not going to let that happen."

For now, Bentley wants to prioritize knocking Mosley Jr. (23-5, 13 KOs) off his high horse. The 35-year-old challenger has found his groove lately, winning six of his last seven, including a sixth-round stoppage over Serhii Bohachuk in his last appearance.

With everything going on around him, Bentley is simply looking forward to a difficult fight.

"He is on a good run right now," Bentley said. "He's a tough guy, he's got a lot of heart, and it's going to be a tough fight. I think it's going to be a little bit of a dogfight. He is a dog; he's got heart, he's a workhorse, he's very fit, he throws a lot of punches. We're going to give a good fight for the fans."