British light heavyweight Zak Chelli, the fighting schoolteacher from Fulham, London, has signed a multi-fight contract with Zuffa Boxing. Chelli, age 28, joins Zuffa’s 175-pound roster riding a wave of momentum. In May, he authored a big upset, overcoming an early deficit to knock out David Morrell in the tenth round. Chelli’s Zuffa Boxing debut will be announced shortly. 

 

“I’m grateful for this opportunity. Zuffa is looking for fighters that they believe in, and I’m proud to be in that category,” Chelli said. “I’m thrilled that my fights will once again be shown on Sky Sports. I’ve fought on Sky many times, and they’ve always treated me well. I want to make the fights that the fans want to see. I’m ready to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. I’ve proven that throughout my career.”

  

Chelli (17-3-1, 9 KOs) turned pro as a super middleweight in 2017, capturing English, British and Commonwealth honors before moving up to light heavyweight last year. He won the English title in his first fight at 175 pounds before accepting the fight with the heavily favored Morrell on two weeks’ notice. 

 

Chelli, who works as a supply teacher at a secondary school in Surrey, stunned the boxing world with his KO, hurting Morrell in the ninth round before finishing the fight with a right hand with 36 seconds remaining in the tenth.