“He Barely Spoke About Me”
“You barely spoke about him. You spoke about him trying to fight Benavidez or trying to fight Smith,” Chelli said to Fight Hub TV after the fight tonight, discussing Morrell’s approach during the buildup to their bout.
Chelli repeatedly insisted afterward that he never viewed the outcome as an upset despite public expectations heavily favoring Morrell.
“For me, it was never an upset for me. I saw it coming,” said Chelli.
“When I got in the ring, I saw 17 with nine knockouts for Zach Chelli. So I had that vision. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m going to knock him out.’”
Chelli said he noticed early that his right hand was landing effectively and decided to stay patient rather than chasing a reckless finish. Morrell has shown a tendency in previous fights to shell up near the ropes under pressure, and Chelli eventually took advantage late in the contest.
“Let Me Cook Him”
“I noticed from the beginning my right hand was hurting him,” said Chelli.
“So I was like, ‘Let me wait. Let me wait for the right time, right opportunity. Let me cook him.’
“Round by round, waiting for the right time because I’m not going to do it straight away. He recovers. I need the end where he can’t recover.”
According to Chelli, Morrell became increasingly frustrated because he struggled to land consistently clean shots.
“He started slowing down because he was missing. He couldn’t catch me properly. He’s getting frustrated,” Chelli said.
The British fighter also compared his stoppage win to the performances of previous opponents who failed to stop Morrell.
“Benavidez Couldn’t Finish Him Off”
“Look, Benavidez couldn’t knock him out,” said Chelli. “The Russian couldn’t finish him off.
“This right hand finished him off. Alhamdulillah,” Chelli said.
The upset victory immediately elevated Zak into bigger conversations at light heavyweight.
“Whether he wanted next, I want now,” Chelli said.
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