David Morrell vs Zak Chelli Preview May 9th, 2026
Former WBA Super Middleweight Champion David Morrell of Cuba returns to the ring this Saturday, May 9th to take on Zak Chelli of England. The 10-round light heavyweight tilt from Manchester, England can be seen live in most nations on DAZN pay-per-view on the undercard of the Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois bout. Morrell suffered his first pro loss in February, 2025 when he dropped a unanimous decision to former WBC Super Middleweight Champion David Benavidez. He decked Benavidez in the 11th round and had a point deducted in the same round for hitting after the bell. Morrell bounced back from the loss five months later when he beat Imam Khataev via a 10-round split decision despite being dropped in the fifth round. Chelli last fought in June when he stopped Adam Hepple in the 10th and final round to win the vacant British Light Heavyweight Title.
Morrell vs Chelli Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Zak Chelli +1100
- David Morrell -2500
My Pick
Morrell is a 28-year-old southpaw who is well known for his amateur exploits as he reportedly compiled a 130-2 record and captured gold medals at the 2016 Youth World Championships, the 2017 Cuban National Championships and the India Open International Boxing Tournament in 2018 in the light heavyweight division. Morrell made his pro debut in August, 2019 when he stopped Yendris Rodriguez Valdez in just 65 seconds and has boxed just 76 rounds since.
He stopped Quinton Rankin in the second round three months later before beating Lennox Allen by unanimous decision for the interim WBA Super Middleweight Title. He defended it by stopping Mike Gavronski in the third round and Mario Cazares in the first round before before halting Alantez Fox and Kalvin Henderson in four, Aidos Yerbossynuly in 12, Yamaguchi Falcao in 142 seconds and Sena Agbeko in two rounds before going the 12-round distance and taking a unanimous decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic in his first outing as a light heavyweight in August, 2024.
However his second fight as a light heavyweight resulted in the unanimous decision loss to David Benavidez in a shot at the WBC Interim belt. Morrell now stands at 12-1 with 9 Ko’s. It’s obvious that he has fine power in his punches as 75 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage but the only elite opponent he has met has been Benavidez. Morrell has pretty good size as he stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a reach of 77 inches. Like most former Cuban national champions, he’s a polished boxer with plenty of skills to accompany his power.
Zak Chelli is also 28 years old and carries around a mark of 16-3-1 with 8 Ko’s and has 134 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2017. As an amateur he reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 English ABAE National Championships and the final of the 2015 England Youth National Championships. At 6-feet-tall, the former school teacher gives up an inch in height to Morrell but unfortunately he has an unlisted reach.
He won the vacant British Southern Area Super Middleweight Title in 2019 with a decision over Jimmy Smith and became British Super Middleweight Champion in June 2022 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Germaine Brown. However he lost that belt to Mark Jeffers by a 10-round unanimous decision. His first defeat had come back in 2019 when he dropped Kody Davies in the second round but lost a 10-round unanimous decision. Chelli’s last loss came at the hands of Callum Simpson via a 12-round unanimous decision in 2024 for the British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight Crowns.
Chelli had won those two titles in his previous bout when he earned a 12-round unanimous nod over Jack Cullen. As far as power is concerned, 50 per cent of Chelli’s victories have come by way of stoppage but he’s gone the distance in five out of his past seven fights. He hasn’t exactly fought the top dogs of his division though as his biggest wins have been against the likes of Cullen, Mike McGoldrick, Jack Kilgannon and Anthony Sims Jr. He did perform well in the win and 2020 draw with Cullen though and should have gained some confidence from those results.
Prediction…
Morrell combines speed with power, boxing skills and aggression and he also has a solid chin. Chelli doesn’t carry much in the way of power but is quite durable. Still, Morrell’s a class above him at this stage of their careers and I think that will be quite evident on Saturday. I’m going with Morrell here but he’s going to have to work hard for the win. It’s also possible he ends up stopping Chelli.
I’ll go with Morrell due to his speed and skill.
Play Morrell -2500 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
David Morrell betting • Imam Khataev betting
David Morrell betting • Zak Chelli betting