Canelo called out by father of light-heavyweight contender from England.
Canelo Álvarez is undoubtedly one of the best Mexican boxers in history, and he has proven himself to be his country’s very best of our generation.
For a while, he was considered to be the greatest in the world regardless of nationality. And when he hangs up the gloves, he is guaranteed an induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Having lost his undisputed super-middleweight titles to Terence Crawford in September, Canelo now has three official losses in 68 fights. And while that is a good record by anyone’s standards, he is no longer universally considered to be in the upper reaches of the pound-for-pound list.
However, Canelo still remains undefeated against a certain group of fighters throughout his long career.
That group would be fighters from the United Kingdom. Indeed, from his 2011 win over Matthew Hatton to his win over John Ryder in 2023, Canelo is 7-0 over British opposition. In fact, it was actually the victory over Hatton that saw Canelo reign as champion for the very first time.
Given such a record, it’s a wonder if there is a foe from the U.K. who could orchestrate Canelo’s next defeat.
Well, there is now a potential candidate, at least.
On Saturday, the boxing world witnessed a modern-day classic between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois. An absolute bloodbath that saw both men have lumps knocked out of them, the action on display has been praised vociferously over the past few days.
However, the undercard also featured a great deal of quality moments, including a result that may yet prove to be the biggest upset of 2026.
In a late addition to the show, two-weight regional titlist Zak Chelli took on David Morrell, a two-weight WBA (Regular) champion from Cuba.
Having recently had an interim title clash with Callum Smith fall through, Morrell was expected to breeze past Chelli in a fight he was a massive favourite for.
Only, that didn’t happen. Instead, Chelli shockingly stopped Morrell in the final round, rendering his fancied foe unconscious on his feet in a jaw-dropping finish.
With his only prior defeat a decision loss to David Benavidez, this absolutely shook the boxing world to its core. And since then, Zak Chelli Sr. (Zak Chelli’s father and former professional himself) has been loudly proclaiming his son’s ability, calling out a series of big names in the sport.
One of these names is Canelo Álvarez.
Speaking to BoxingScene following the sensational triumph, Chelli Sr. stated, “Canelo Álvarez. If you come to light-heavyweight, we go for Canelo. Canelo beat all the British fighters. Okay, give him Zak. You cannot beat Zak, Canelo.”
Canelo is expected to next face WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli, so a fight against Chelli likely won’t be the Mexican’s next course of action. Still, if the superstar is wanting another go at the 175-pound division at some point, Chelli is a definite option for him to take.
Want to get the latest boxing news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
