Jack Chelly has tried to pacify his devoted father, but he knows his dad has been the key to his success.
In January – when the 26-year-old super-middleweight won the British and Commonwealth titles – his post-fight interview was taken over by former fighter Zakaria and he had to struggle to get fans’ attention.
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Chelly Sr. has been the center of a few viral boxing videos over the past few years, boasting his son’s talent and rowing with his rivals.
But the second-generation player has hired a new coach in Barry O’Connell and has handed his father the easy role of being his inspiration and No.1 fan.
When SunSport spoke about the tricky subject ahead of Saturday’s clash against Callum Simpson, Chelly said: “I wouldn’t have gotten here without my dad and his position.”
“When I first started I was unknown, the big promoters weren’t really interested in me.
“But my dad trained me in the beginning, he put me up against superstars like George Groves, James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr.
“And when I started winning my fights on TV, people saw that and started remembering us.
“Some people might not like everything about it.
“But it’s true that I wouldn’t be able to reach this stage and win this title if I hadn’t been there with my father.
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“Now that I’m British champion and playing the main role on Sky Sports I don’t need the publicity or his help promoting me so that has made him calm down a bit.”
Fulham-based QPR fan Chelly – a former sub – is making the trip up to Simpson’s backyard of Barnsley to take in the clash at the football club’s Oakwell stadium.
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And he dreams of staging a show at RS’s Loftus Road home, where no major boxing event has been held since Barry McGuigan’s stunning world title win over Eusebio Pedroza in 1985.
He explained: “Boxer and Sky Sports have recently played fights against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and now Barnsley… so why not against QPR?”
“Loftus Road is a fantastic stadium, it creates a great atmosphere, it’s a working class area that loves boxing and there are a lot of great gyms around.
“I’m taking 150 fans there, they’ll have about 7,000, but when I win I’ll try for a show at the Loft with local west London talent to build my legacy.”
