Zak Chelli vs Callum Simpson: Prediction and Betting Tips

The British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles are on the line at Oakwell, Barnsley, on Saturday night as defending champion Zak Chelli faces hometown favourite Callum Simpson.

Chelli comes into the bout with a 15-2-1 record, with seven of his wins coming via knockout, and Simpson has a perfect 14-0 record - including 10 stoppages.

There is plenty at stake here beyond the titles and the winner can potentially start to plot a pathway towards moving beyond the domestic scene.

Zak Chelli vs Callum Simpson Betting Tips

Tip 1 - Callum Simpson to win at 27/100

Tip 2 - Callum Simpson to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification at 29/20

Tip 3 - Callum Simpson to win in rounds 3-4 at 13/1

Tip 1 - Callum Simpson to win at 27/100

Callum Simpson is the clear favourite ahead of this fight and for good reason. The 27-year-old has a perfect record after 14 professional fights and 10 of his wins have been via stoppages, and he has a potentially significant advantage of fighting on home turf on Saturday.

Zak Chelli undeniably represents a step up in class for Simpson, but his recent victories over the likes of experienced duo Jose de Jesus Macias and Dulla Mbabe suggest he is more than ready to move up to the next level.

Tip 2 – Callum Simpson to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification at 29/20

Chelli is a fighter who has never been stopped, but Simpson carries a lot of power, and we may see an early finish on Saturday night in South Yorkshire.

Simpson stopped the 34-13 Dulla Mbabe in the fourth round in his last bout and will probably be looking to put on a bit of a show in front of a home crowd this weekend.

For his part, Chelli will also be looking to go on the attack in a bid to silence the partisan crowd and that should create a few openings for both fighters.

The defending champion has a fairly modest stoppage rate of just under 47%, and if this does become a firefight it makes sense to side with the man with the greater power to prevail, so backing Simpson to win by KO, TKO or disqualification looks the standout option in the method of victory market.

Tip 3 - Callum Simpson to win in rounds 3-4 at 13/1

For anyone after an outside option, there is an argument about Simpson to win in rounds 3-4.

This is perhaps doing Chelli a bit of a disservice as he is a decent fighter who thoroughly deserved his win over Jack Cullen to claim his current titles, but this selection is more based on the chances that this could become a brawl fairly quickly rather than any particular weaknesses that Chelli may have.

Simpson has quickly established himself as a bit of a knockout specialist with a KO rate of 71%. The Barnsley-native has been able to continue picking up stoppage wins after stepping up in class and he is a fighter who does his best work early on in fights.

An impressive five of his 10 KOs have come in the first round, and four have come in rounds 3-4. These two fighters will probably try and feel each other out a bit in the opening exchanges but that approach isn’t likely to last beyond the first round.

Then, from that point on, both men will be looking to establish themselves in the fight and with Simpson buoyed by local support at Oakwell he may be able to send out a big statement by ending Chelli’s reign as British champion before the midway point.

It could be worth covering Simpson to win in rounds 3-4 and rounds 5-6 (at 17/2), but as a single option sticking with the bigger price on the early pairing is the better pick.

Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation