Zak Chelli

Chelli made his professional debut at York Hall in London on 24 February 2017, stopping Jacob Lucas in the third of their scheduled four-round encounter.^[3]

He won his first professional title in his eighth fight, claiming the vacant Southern Area super-middleweight crown with a unanimous decision victory over Jimmy Smith at Wembley Arena on 27 April 2019.^[4][5]

On 10 November 2020, Chelli defeated Vladimir Georgiev by unanimous decision and Mike McGoldrick via a second round stoppage at BT Sport Studio in Stratford to win the Boxxer VII tournament and secure a two-year contract with the promotional company.^[6][7][8]

He became English super-middleweight champion by dethroning Germaine Brown with a unanimous decision success at Wembley Arena on 11 June 2022.^[9]

At the same venue on 11 February 2023, Chelli took the WBA Continental super-middleweight title thanks to a unanimous decision win over Anthony Sims Jr.^[10][11][12]

He lost his English title to Mark Jeffers at Manchester Arena on 1 July 2023, going down to a unanimous decision defeat.^[13]

Chelli challenged British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Jack Cullen at Liverpool Arena on 20 January 2024, winning the bout by unanimous decision.^[14][15]

In his first defense at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley on 3 August 2024, he lost his titles via unanimous decision to Callum Simpson.^[16][17]

After more than 10 months out of the competitive boxing ring, Chelli returned to face Adam Hepple for the vacant English light-heavyweight title at York Hall in London on 27 June 2025. Ahead on all three judges' scorecards and having already sent his opponent to the canvas in the ninth round, Chelli won the fight by knockout in the 10th and final round when Hepple failed to beat the referee's 10-count after being dropped by a punch to his body.^[18][19]

He took on former two-weight WBA (Regular) champion David Morrell at Co-op Live in Manchester on 9 May 2026.^[20][21] In a massive upset, Chelli won by technical knockout in the 10th and final round for the second bout in a row. While Morrell controlled most of the early portion of the fight, Chelli continued to land several overhand rights that gradually took their toll. Morrell came under major pressure at the end of the ninth and again in the 10th, the latter leading to a severe beating that prompted the referee to step in and stop the fight.^[22][23]

Chelli was born in England to a Tunisian father and Italian mother. His father was a national boxer in Tunisia, before moving to Italy where he won a title.^[24] He has a degree in business, management and marketing from the University of Surrey and, after gaining a teaching qualification, worked as a substitute teacher during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020.^[25][26] He supports EFL Championship team QPR.^[26]