London, England (Jan 13, 2023) – Zak is back! Super-middleweight Zak Chelli will return to action on February 11 at the OVO Arena in London when he takes on the ‘Magician’ Anthony Sims Jr.
This hugely-exciting international ‘Wild Card’ contest – in association with headline event partners bet365 – joins an action-packed card in the capital, headlined by Adam Azim.
English super-middleweight champion Chelli (12-1-1, 6 KOs) celebrated a unanimous points victory over Germaine Brown on his last outing at Wembley in June 2022.
He was set to defend his title last November at Alexandra Palace before his opponent Lerrone Richards was forced to withdraw at the 11th hour.
Now Londoner Chelli, who has high aspirations of making big strides in the 168lb division this year, faces a huge step up against the tough American knockout specialist.
Sims Jr (23-1-0, 20 KOs), stands at 6ft 1in, has stopped 20 of his 24 opponents, won the WBA Inter-Continental super-middleweight title in 2021 and he is a cousin of the legendary Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The 27-year-old from Indiana is renowned for his destructive and devastating power with an impressive 20 KOs on his resume. And Chelli insists this is a fight fans in London will not want to miss.
Chelli said: “After the disappointment of not fighting last November, it’s great to be back at the OVO Arena in Wembley.
“This will be a really good fight for me. I’m training hard and I want to make a big impact on the division this year.
“I’m looking forward to taking on an experienced man from overseas in Sims Jr and stealing the show!”
Hassan Azim is back too – and is on a mission to underline his incredible talent this year.
Elder brother of Adam, undefeated Azim (5-0, 2 KOs) put on a brilliant performance last November when he outclassed Nestor Amukoto at Alexandra Palace with a comfortable points victory to cap a hugely successful 2022.
The popular welterweight prospect won all four of his fights last year and he’ll be keen to create his own headlines when he launches his campaign in London – live in the UK & Republic of Ireland on Sky Sports Boxing. An opponent will be named in due course.
Joining the bill is the ‘Wanderer’, Jordan Reynolds. The Luton-based super-welterweight (4-0, 1 KO) was successful on his most recent visit to Wembley’s iconic arena when he outclassed Jose Manuel Lopez Clavero in a majority points victory last October.
And Iranian featherweight prospect ‘Razor Ali’ (6-0) will be keen to showcase his sharp skills in the capital too. Ali – full name Alireza Ghadiri – is unbeaten in six previous fights and will be keen to add his first stoppage in what will be his seventh professional fight.
Adam ‘The Assassin’ Azim headlines against undefeated Santos Reyes (12-0, 3 KO’s).
With six consecutive stoppage victories – including November’s stunning two-round demolition of the highly-regarded Rylan Charlton – BBC Young Fighter of the Year, Azim has now established himself as the world’s leading lightweight prospect and considered by many as a future world champion after his breakthrough year in 2022.
Azim’s McGuigan’s Gym stablemate ‘Sweet’ Caroline Dubois (5-0, 4 KO’s) takes a big step up on February 11 when she faces the highly-experienced Argentinian national champion Yamila Belen Abellaneda (15-5-1, 3 KO’s).
Best known to British fight fans for her WBA Intercontinental title battle with Natasha Jonas’ arch-rival Terri Harper in March last year, Abellaneda – who has successfully defended her Argentina national title four times since winning it in December 2020 – is making her second visit to the UK next month.
The English Middleweight Championship will be on the line when newly-crowned champion Tyler Denny (15-2-3) makes his first defence against undefeated Cornwall man Brad Pauls (16-0, 9 KO’s).
Viddal Riley (7-0, 4 KOs) marked himself out as a rising threat in the stacked cruiserweight division in 2022. On February 11, he turns his attention to Anees Taj (7-2-0, 5 KOs).