Did Zak Chelli Pull Off the Upset of the Year?

Massive underdog Zak Chelli may have pulled off the biggest upset in modern British boxing history and possibly European boxing as well. Some bookmakers had Chelli (17-3-1) as high as a 31-1 underdog going into the bout against Cuba’s David Morrell (12-2, 9 KOs).

Chelli, a school teacher outside the ring, taught Morrell a lesson he will not soon forget — stopping the former world champion on his feet in the 10th round. The British fighter of Italian and Arab ancestry accepted the bout on just a few weeks’ notice.

Clearly, Chelli and his father, who trains him, saw something in Morrell they thought they could take advantage of.

The odds reflected Morrell’s pedigree. The Cuban entered the night as a former world champion and one of the sport’s most avoided fighters. Yet as the rounds passed, Chelli looked like the hungrier man.

Morrell’s urgency faded, while Chelli’s looked like he had been starving for such an opportunity. In the 10th, he put together the right punches as Morrell slumped into the ropes. The referee was quick to make the call.

After the fight, Chelli pointed out that David Benavidez could not stop Morrell. He even called for a future bout with Benavidez. Still, the bigger story may be the lingering effect Benavidez has on opponents after sharing the ring with him. Morrell now joins a growing list of fighters who have looked diminished after facing the Mexican-American pressure fighter.

A thank you to a ring rival

For Morrell, who entered the evening ranked No. 5 at light heavyweight by Ring Magazine, the defeat forces a complete recalculation of his career trajectory. For Chelli, a rematch with Callum Smith could now make commercial and sporting sense. Surely, though, he will want to enjoy the apotheosis of his career for a while.

Chelli lost his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles to mandatory challenger Callum Simpson in 2024. He later captured the English light heavyweight title, but appeared to have few major opportunities on the horizon. It was Smith’s late withdrawal through injury that unexpectedly opened the door to a career-defining fight with Morrell.

The emotional center of the evening may have been found in Chelli’s corner. His father — a former national boxing champion in Tunisia who later also won titles in Italy before settling in Britain — joined him in the ring after the victory.

According to Chelli, his father had urged him to keep training despite the lack of opportunities, convinced that eventually a major fight would materialize. His mother, meanwhile, is Neapolitan — adding another Mediterranean thread to one of the unlikeliest underdog stories boxing has seen in years.

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