Zak Chelli (born 26 November 1997) is an English

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

who is a former

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

super-middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...

champion. He has also held the English and WBA Continental super-middleweight titles.

Career

Chelli made his pro-debut at

York Hall The York Hall, officially known as York Hall Leisure Centre, is a multi-purpose indoor arena and leisure centre in Bethnal Green, London. The building opened in 1929 and it is most famous as an international boxing venue with the first nights o ...

in London on 24 February 2017, stopping Jacob Lucas in the third of their scheduled four-round encounter. He won his first professional title in his eighth fight, claiming the vacant Southern Area

crown with a unanimous decision victory over Jimmy Smith at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena () (originally the Empire Pool, currently known as OVO Energy, OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, Greater London, England. The 12,500-seat facility is Greater Lond ...

on 27 April 2019. 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. He became English super-middleweight champion by dethroning Germaine Brown with a unanimous decision success at Wembley Arena on 11 June 2022. 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. He lost his English title to Mark Jeffers at

Manchester Arena Manchester Arena (currently known as AO Arena for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. Pr ...

on 1 July 2023, going down to a unanimous decision defeat. Chelli challenged

and

super-middleweight champion Jack Cullen at

Liverpool Arena Liverpool Arena, known for sponsorship reasons as the M&S Bank Arena and previously the Echo Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the city centre of Liverpool, England. The venue hosts live music, comedy performances and sporting events, ...

on 20 January 2024, winning the bout by unanimous decision. In his first defense at Oakwell Stadium in

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

on 3 August 2024, he lost his titles via unanimous decision to Callum Simpson.

Personal life

Chelli has a degree in business, management and marketing from the

University of Surrey The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, Surrey, England. The university received its Royal Charter, royal charter in 1966, along with a Plate glass university, number of other institutions following recommendations ...

and, after gaining a teaching qualification, worked as a

substitute teacher A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is absent or unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, maternal leave and so on. "Substitute teacher" (usually abbreviated as sub) is the most c ...

during the

COVID-19 lockdowns During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology), non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar socie ...

in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelli, Zak Living people 1997 births English male boxers British male boxers Super-middleweight boxers British Boxing Board of Control champions Commonwealth Boxing Council champions 21st-century English sportsmen Sportspeople from London Alumni of the University of Surrey