Road Warrior & UK Champ Zak Chelli Eyes World Title Run After Simpson Fight

Zak Chelli has big plans for the 168 lb division

Zak Chelli set for big fight / BOXXER

LONDON -- Zak Chelli, the current British and Commonwealth Super-Middleweight Champion, with Italian roots will be in action this weekend against mandatory challenger Callum Simpson. 

Chelli has is a true road warrior going into the hometown of other fighters and pulling off the win as well as a stint as a substitute teacher.

His most recent fight was a victory over Germaine Brown, where he claimed the English Super-Middleweight Championship

“Beat him up [Germaine Brown] and took his belts and I am going to keep those belts when I go up to Burnelsy [for] Callum Simpson and go home a happy man,” Chelli said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

In doing so he would give Callum Simpson (14-0)  his first professional loss.  Simpson certainly has at least one advantage. The fight will take place in Barnsley, England, the hometown of Simpson, on Saturday 3 Aug. 

Zakaria Chelli Snr, was a national boxing champion in Tunisia before moving to Italy, where he also won a title. The senior Chelli then moved to the United Kingdom, not before meeting Zak’s mother, a Neapolitan woman. The younger Chelli calls Fulham, a suburb of London, home. If he wins this weekend he plans on vacationing in Italy next week.

His mother has been just as influential in building his career outside of the ring. At his mother’s urging, he completed a degree from Surrey University in business, management, and marketing, making him a rare professional boxer who is also a university graduate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic with teachers dropping from assignments, he found a roll as a substitute teacher (known as a supply teacher in the United Kingdom)

  “I really respect [teachers who work with children with special needs]; it’s tougher than boxing,” he said.

Chelli brings to the ring a record of 15 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw. However, at only 26 years old, he still has much of his boxing career ahead of him

The fighter is promoted Ben Shalom of BOXXER one of the leading promoters in the United Kingdom. A big win this weekend over the undefeated Callum Simpson (14-0) would put him into fringe world title contender status with more lucrative match-up's in his near future. 

“After this fight I am done with Britian, I want to go for European or world title eliminators,” he said.