Zak Chelli (born 26 November 1997) is an English professional boxer. He has held the English light-heavyweight title since June 2025. Chelli is also a former British, Commonwealth, English and WBA Continental super-middleweight champion.
Career 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.
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.
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 on 1 July 2023, going down to a unanimous decision defeat.
Chelli challenged British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Jack Cullen at Liverpool Arena on 20 January 2024, winning the bout by unanimous decision.
In his first defense at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley on 3 August 2024, he lost his titles via unanimous decision to Callum Simpson.
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.
He took on former two-weight WBA (Regular) champion David Morrell at Co-op Live in Manchester on 9 May 2026. 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.
Personal life Chelli was born in England to a Tunisian father and Italian mother. His father, Zakaria Chelli, was a national boxer in Tunisia, before moving to Italy where he won a title. He has a degree in business, management and marketing from the University of Surrey and, after gaining a teaching qualification, began working as a substitute teacher during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Away from the boxing ring, he continues to be employed in teaching as of May 2026. Chelli is a keen chess player having taken up the boardgame while at school.
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes21Win17–3–1David MorrellTKO10 (10), 9 May 202620Win16–3–1Adam HeppleKO10 (10), 27 Jun 202519Loss15–3–1Callum SimpsonUD123 Aug 202418Win15–2–1Jack CullenUD1220 Jan 202417Win14–2–1Jordan Grannum4 (4), 23 Sep 202316Loss13–2–1Mark JeffersUD101 Jul 202315Win13–1–1Anthony Sims Jr.UD1011 Feb 202314Win12–1–1Germaine BrownUD1011 Jun 202213Win11–1–1Jack KilgannonTKO6 (8), 2 Apr 202212Win10–1–1Bohdan HarkavyiTKO3 (6), 10 Apr 202111Win9–1–1Mike McGoldrickTKO2 (3), 10 Nov 202010Win8–1–1Vladimir GeorgievUD310 Nov 20209Draw7–1–1Jack Cullen1022 Aug 20208Loss7–1Kody Davies1014 Sep 20197Win7–0Jimmy SmithPTS1027 Apr 20196Win6–0Ladislav NemethTKO1 (6), 9 Mar 20195Win5–0Umar SadiqPTS820 Oct 20184Win4–0Przemyslaw BiniendaTKO2 (4), 2 Mar 20183Win3–0Adam Jones616 Sep 20172Win2–0Chris Dutton2 (4), 13 May 20171Win1–0Jacob Lucas3 (4), 24 Feb 2017
References