Ex-teacher who 'hated' boxing eyes British title

British super-middleweight Zak Chelli was gifted his first boxing gloves at just eight weeks old.

He was made to run home from primary school aged six, when a five-minute journey with his father in tow on a bicycle felt more like a marathon.

At high school, the Londoner's phone would ring from the moment the day ended, with Zak Chelli Sr demanding his son hurry home to train.

"OK, I'll just tell the bus driver to drive faster shall I?" Chelli would reply.

But, now aged 26, the Hammersmith-born boxer is grateful for his father's pushiness.

"I didn't enjoy boxing as a kid. In fact, I hated it and I missed a lot of my childhood - even just being able to play PlayStation with my friends, but I'm truly so glad it played out this way," he says.

Chelli challenges Jack Cullen for the British title in Liverpool on Saturday, on the undercard of world champion Natasha Jonas' title defence against Mikaela Mayer.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Chelli describes how he went from a child who was "forced into boxing" to a fighter who - thanks in part to a short stint as a teacher during lockdown - found his passion for the sport.

Chelli - who has won 14 pro bouts, with two defeats and one draw - is living out his father's dream.

"Dad was born in Tunisia and won a national title as a pro boxer. He moved to Italy and became Italian champion but then started a family in England and his boxing career didn't go well," Chelli says.

"So instead he said his kids - me and my brother - would become boxing champions."

Both Chelli and his older brother Yahia shone as amateurs but Yahia - currently studying for a PHD in engineering - opted to further his education instead of turning professional.

"My dad saw what my brother did and said no to me doing the same," Chelli says. "He took me to [promoter] Frank Warren who convinced me I had what it takes and showed me the money I could be earning."

Chelli's mother meanwhile was acutely aware of the fickle nature of boxing and made sure her son had a back-up plan.

Having already turned professional, Chelli graduated with a degree in business, management and marketing from Surrey University.

"The degree came in useful," he says. "When lockdown came, I had to get a job because my mum didn't want me laying around all day doing nothing. I had some savings from boxing but that was running out and I didn't know how long Covid was going to last."

He gained a fast-track qualification to become a supply teacher. Within weeks, Chelli was standing in front of a high school class.

"To be honest, they wanted just anyone with a degree because teachers were dropping like flies because of Covid," he says.

"On my first day, they gave me a year 10 class in a girls' school. I was teaching GCSE geography - I didn't even do GCSE geography!

"But the first day went so well they asked me to come back for a couple of months."

His new vocation served a purpose but Chelli soon realised teaching was not his calling.

"I was doing 8am to 4pm days and I soon realised how tough a working day is," he says. "I realised I do not want to do this for the rest of my life. Boxing is what I wanted to do."

After a breakout win over American Anthony Sims Jr - a decorated amateur - in February 2023, he suffered a shock loss against Chorley's Mark Jeffers four months later.

"That loss really was a wake-up call," he says. "Perhaps I got a bit too arrogant and complacent."

He scoffs at the idea of ever returning to the classroom. Instead Chelli - now promoted by Ben Shalom's Boxxer - is focused on dishing out some punishment to rival Cullen at the M&S Bank Arena this weekend.

"We fought in 2020 and it was a draw. I felt I won. But I was only 22 and now I believe I am in my prime," Chelli says.

"Throughout my career, my father has been saying I'm the best super-middleweight in Great Britain - now this is a chance to prove it."