Zak Chelli says beating David Morrell last May earned him promises his promoter never intended to keep. After being told an interim world title fight would follow, he now claims there was no big fight planned and has declared himself a free agent.
His complaint goes beyond missing out on an opponent. Chelli believes Joshua Buatsi, Willy Hutchinson or Anthony Yarde would have received a major promotional push for the same result.
“I was sold a dream. They didn’t promote me,” Chelli said in comments shared by EverythingBoxing. “They tried to sweep me under the rug. They said, ‘Within 6 months, you’ll be fighting for an interim world title.’ Yesterday in a meeting, I found out it’s all been lies. There is no big fight for me. There never was. My contract is now void with them. I’m a free agent.”
Buatsi and Hutchinson were also the names Chelli identified as possible opponents. He said Callum Smith was ruled out because he was with a different promotion.
An interim title opportunity requires an available opponent and sanctioning body approval. If those pieces were never in place, Chelli was given a timetable without a fight to support it.
Commercial appeal helps determine which fighters receive major opportunities, but building that appeal is part of a promoter’s job. A win over Morrell provides something to sell. Leaving Chelli without a meaningful follow-up, then treating a smaller audience as a reason to overlook him, would make that audience harder to grow.
Free agency offers no guarantee of a better fight, either. Any new promoter would still need to deliver an opponent and a date.
Chelli’s account does not establish that his contract is void, and the supplied comments contain no response from his promoter. His next deal needs to offer more than another promise.