Zak Chelli scores upset of the year over David Morrell with final round KO: “Benavidez didn’t do that”

Sheldan Keay

Zak Chelli scores upset of the year over David Morrell with final round KO: “Benavidez didn’t do that”
Image credit: Getty

Zak Chelli pulled off one of the upsets of the year so far as he recorded a stunning knockout win over David Morrell.

The pair were competing on the Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois card at Co-Op Live in Manchester, with the fight only coming together on short notice after Morrell’s scheduled bout against Callum Smith last month being postponed due to a Smith injury.

Many felt there was a big gulf in competition heading into the bout, with Morrell having previously been WBA Regular champion at both super-middleweight and light heavyweight and only losing to David Benavidez by decision in his career to date.

The fight was unfolding as most expected, as Morrell looked to be heading to a points win, but in the penultimate round, English light-heavyweight champion Chelli landed a big shot and unloaded a combination on the ropes, with the bell coming at the perfect time to save the Cuban.

After taking the 60 seconds to recover, Morrell appeared to have weathered the storm, but in the dying seconds of the fight, Chelli rocked his rival again, and Morrell was out on his feet, with the referee jumping in to stop as it Chelli claimed the shock upset win.

It is no doubt the biggest win of Chelli’s career, and he revealed after the bout that he now wants to move towards a world title shot.

“I just beat a former world champion. I took my time, I saw my right hand hurting him so I waited for the perfect time. Did Benavidez do that? No, I did that. I want a world title. He was number two [in the rankings], I want number one.”

Morrell was ranked at number one with the WBA prior to the bout, so Chelli – who is mandatory for a shot at the British belt – could now expect a high ranking himself after the win. Whatever happens, he deserves something major.

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