By Anna Whitwham (author of Boxer Handsome)
ON January 20th Zak Chelli will fight Jack Cullen for the British and Commonwealth title. The London fighter, of Tunisian and Italian heritage, will be able to show off a strength and skill overlooked the last time he and Cullen clashed.
The fight is a chance for Chelli to take belts back – and for Cullen to defend them. Their first encounter was a controversial draw. The fight took place during Covid, to a non-existent crowd kept away by the virus – days where boxing arenas and football stadiums whistled a strange silence – the punches amplified and the spectacle more human and more alive because of it. You could hear the smack of the leather.
This fight was intimate – both boxers had no one but the other. The moments before the first round saw a charged stare-out – the lean and rangy fighters keeping eye contact before they met in the middle.
Set within lavish grounds in Eddie Hearn’s Essex garden, his clean, white mansion framing the ring. No legions of fans, no roar of a crowd – their ring walk a lonely walk through a lawn to a ring. Their ring walk song floating and fading to air, instead of announcing each fighter with the usual, tunnel boom.
The boxer is their body and Cullen and Chelli danced together like well-matched partners. Both long, lean, sharp with jabs, Cullen the slightly taller, but Chelli strong and urgent.
Cullen and Chelli (Boxxer)
Until now, and from childhood, Chelli has been cornered and trained by his father, Zakaria. Chelli’s father was a boxer too. Chelli has now changed trainers – although his father will remain a close part of this process, he will be trained by Barry O’Connell, a trainer who has always played a big part in his career and been a nurturing presence.
I have the privilege of driving to Portsmouth with Barry and Zak to watch some sparring. This is before his fight announcement with Cullen. He is preparing and readying for a potential fight – staying sharp, ready. He is easy to talk to – clever, introspective. On the way back we talk a lot – about faith and about fighting – about his father and Barry. Chelli talks with grace and respect about his dad – but he knows too about the benefits of stepping away from that closeness that merges so much of the personal and professional. The trust with Barry is essential – “Barry’s always been there in my corner.”
A practising Muslim, Chelli has a real sense of time and place. He is calm, modest – and exudes a confidence that feels rooted in real skill and talent – and hard work. Of this shift to having Barry as his main trainer, Chelli remarks – “He sees the things I’m good at and he makes it work. My dad’s still there in the background, obviously.”
Chelli’s decision to take on a new trainer is deliberate and thought out – he moves through conversation with philosophy and intelligence – an acceptance and thoughtfulness. His decision to leave his father’s immediate guidance and begin training with Barry O’Connell at State of Mind Fitness is considered. You get the impression decisions do not come lightly – they are made in calm – and there is the courage of a son stepping away from old authority figures.
Barry O’Connell has trained George Groves, and Anthony Ogogo – and a wide range of other talents. A real grass roots gym – State of Mind Fitness nurtures local talent – there are no frills or favours. Everyone is treated the same – Chelli is part of the community – one of the very best there is, but in the mix of a gym that feels like family.
I talked to Barry at State of Mind Fitness a week before the fight. He is clearly proud of his fighter.
“I have been fortunate to work with some very talented boxers in some amazing camps. Working with Zak has brought out all these past experiences and camp has gone literally to perfection. World class sparring, personal bests achieved, new skills added to his already exciting style. I am blessed and extremely proud to work with such a talented and diligent fighter.”
Zak Chelli weighs in (Boxxer)
I watched Barry in Chelli’s corner at the spar. He observed his boxer with composure, with critical distance. I wondered if having someone care about you like a father might be better than having the real one in your corner. Chelli looked relaxed, easy – as if he enjoyed the space to play in. There was laughter, a brightness to the afternoon. He dominated the spar – looking like he could go 12 more rounds. He was sharp, fast, strong. His punches pinpointing air. I sat back and enjoyed such a high level of sparring along with other fans in the Portsmouth gym.
The fight with Cullen will be a huge return to a big arena. Chelli and Cullen will share the main card with Mikaela Mayer and Natasha Jonas. Hosted in Liverpool, this will be a big shift from Eddie Hearn’s Essex garden. Chelli will be making his come back from an uncomfortable draw, without his father – away from Covid and the ghost audience – to the raw and loud Liverpool boxing community.
When he sits at his corner to drink water, to catch breath – it won’t be his father telling him what to do. He will have outgrown the 22-year-old from 2020 – returning to find his place with big names, in a big fight – he is stronger, he is older. As Chelli says – “Barry’s the main guy now, and I’m very happy with it and I’m looking forward to a future.”
What happens at the fight will determine Chelli’s future. To take the belts from Cullen will offer a whole world of opportunity on an international stage and get him the big fights he deserves. Returning in the satin of his green and red shorts, the colours of Tunisia, his father’s home, Chelli might find this fight brings him closer to who he has ever been. In victory he will be able to pay the greatest respect to his father – who Chelli knows will be watching. The fight could be a real shift to new manhood -a test for a fighter who has fully grown up and stepped into the boxing limelight.