After an extended delay, Brad Pauls has a career-altering assignment against Shakiel Thompson on the mind this weekend. However, the middleweight hopeful has benefited greatly from sharing the ring with one-time world title challenger Denzel Bentley, for whom 2025 was an even more frustrating year than the 'Newquay Bomb'.

The middleweight, who dropped out of The Ring's top-10 rankings last year, repeatedly had fight dates fall through while his pursuit of a Janibek Alimkhanuly rematch fell on deaf ears as the 31-year-old was left out in the cold.

He told The Ring's Dec Taylor last month the Kazakh should be stripped by the WBO, after his December 6 three-belt unification with WBA beltholder Erislandy Lara was canceled in fight week upon discovery of a positive drugs test for the performance-enhancing drug Meldonium. Earlier this month, the IBF relieved him of their belt.

Pauls, who lost his British title and then-vacant European honors after a competitive 12-round clash with Bentley in December 2024, has since posted pictures on social media of the pair sparring. How did that come about?

"It's nothing personal, his gym is pretty close to ours and we've actually sparred both before and after our fight," he told The Ring.

"I respect him, he's a nice bloke, I will be down there again no doubt and there's obviously something to be learned by sparring him so why not?"

As was the case during a flat performance against Tyler Denny on Sky Sports in early 2023, Pauls laments his inability to turn the screw in ways he managed during the Nathan Heaney rematch.

Bentley, he counters, was simply a level above.

"It's not an excuse but I was still getting to grips with massive fights on TV, each opponent poses a different set of challenges. Heaney is British level but Denzel is above that, me stepping out towards European and fringe world-level, dealing with those problems. Just look at what he did to most of the domestic lads, I feel like I'm still improving and will do more after that experience."

Heaney bamboozled an off-colour Bentley showing the previous November to win the Lonsdale belt, though the Wandsworth puncher's family circumstances meant he shouldn't even have been boxing that night.

A willingness to stay active and not disappoint as the headline attraction played to his detriment, though it's rare for world-level operators and champions to sit out a full year without injury. WBC middleweight betlholder Carlos Adames (25-1, 18 KOs) is just one exception.

Prospective dates in June, September, October and December all fell through, with a WBO-ordered final eliminator against Endry Saavedra even mooted for the Nikita Tszyu-Michael Zerafa undercard on January 16 at one stage.

Now they'll box for interim WBO world title honors as part of the undercard preceding Derek Chisora-Deontay Wilder on April 4, ending a 16-month layoff for a fighter at his best when he's active and kept busy. Janibek has been suspended from participating in any WBO-sanctioned bouts for a year, but allowed to retain his title.

Rather than sulk in the meantime, Bentley has continued training diligently and sparred regularly while supporting teammates elsewhere, commentating on small-hall shows and showing face at media events.

How does one keep coming back and not lose that hunger, through it all? Pauls, who says his local sponsors are the reason he has managed to avoid being forced into retirement for financial reasons, highlights his work ethic.

"I've said it to him, fair play, he still stays in the gym. There's nothing more demoralizing, the discipline is still the same but there's no reward in the end... you're not getting paid nor progressing. Denzel beat me and was meant to go on, have another title shot and whatever else, he was the home fighter and should be looked after."

"I said to him, that's 20% of the rest of his career gone for no reason, no fighter likes that, by the time I fight Thompson, I will have boxed twice before him and he beat me. He's always in the gym but sometimes boxing doesn't work the best like that."

Pauls-Thompson carries heightened stakes following Janibek's positive drug test and the sanctioning body's delayed decision to strip him, two months after their original January 24 date was postponed.

Thompson is currently the IBF's No. 3-rated contender and he'll be defending that ranking against Pauls, knowing the victor's next fight could be against Italy's Etinosa Oliha (22-0, 10 KOs) for a vacant world title.