A product of London, England, Zak Chelli made his boxing debut at the age of 19, defeating Jacob Lucas by technical decision. Chelli would go on to win his next six fights.
On September 14, 2019, Zak Chelli suffered his first loss by unanimous decision to Kody Davies. Eleven months later, Chelli returned to the ring and submitted a split decision draw against Jack Cullen.
Chelli would go on to win four fights in a row. Chelli would go on to win five in a row, winning the English super-middleweight title by defeating Germaine Brown.
Chelli had one successful defense before losing the belt to Mark Jeffers. Five months later, in a match against Jack Cullen, back in January 2024, Chelli outpointed Cullen, and as a result, won the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles.
Recently, the much-anticipated April 2026 fight between David Morrell and interim WBO light-heavyweight champion Callum Smith was scheduled to take place in Liverpool. Unfortunately, Smith withdrew due to a training injury.
However, David Morrell has been given another chance to make his UK boxing debut. On May 9, 2026, David Morrell traveled to Manchester, England, to face Zak Chelli.
Boxing is a game based on standards, and during the first half of the fight, southpaw David Morrell showed how much better he was than Zak Chelli. In the second half of the bout, Chelli had his moments, but Morrell was in complete control.
The turning point of the fight came with 20 seconds left in the ninth round, when Chelli landed a hard right hand, surprising Morrell. For the next nineteen seconds, Chelli pounded Morrell with endless punches.
At the 2:26 mark of the 10th round, Chelli hurt Morrell again with a left jab. In the last 40 seconds of the tenth round, Chelli landed a six-pack combination, forcing the referee to step in and stop the contest.
David Morrell (12-2, 9 KOs) lost the first fight of his career back in February 2025 to pound-for-pound star David Benavidez. On Saturday night, May 9, Morrell lost his second fight to Zak Chelli, a supply teacher specializing in math and science.
Zak Chelli (17-3-1, 9 KOs) got the luxury of having a dream come true as he defeated the former two-division champion. With her confidence at an all-time high, Chelli called the tallest man in the restaurant.
“Morrell did very well with Benavidez didn’t he?” Chelli said. “And I did better, why not? I could be world champion.”
Zak Chelli just posted the biggest win of his professional career, and he’s ready to move on to the next step. Chelli probably won’t get the Benavidez fight, but at least the teacher was able to use the opportunity to teach David Morrell a valuable lesson.
