A lack of activity has always held Rashidi Ellis back from having more of a global fanbase. In 2019, 2020, and 2022, the now 30-year-old fought just once. In 2021, he failed to enter the ring at all.
This year was supposed to be different. Ellis was supposed to establish himself as a true welterweight contender and a must-see fighter. In his first appearance of the year, however, things went horribly wrong.
On January 7th, at the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., Ellis kicked off his year by facing Roiman Villa. The hard-hitting Venezuelan appeared durable and game but the skills of Ellis were supposed to pay the bills.
After starting off strong, Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) crumbled in the second half, resulting in the first defeat of his career. A rematch between the two is out of the question but Ellis has learned to accept it. At this point, the speedy contender is simply looking ahead. With a long line of big names without an opponent, Ellis has two particular fighters in mind for his next outing.
“You got (Mario) Barios,” said Ellis to BoxingScene.com. “You got Cody (Crowley). I want to fight somebody with a good name.”
In the case of Crowley, he’s hoping that he eventually lands a world title shot given his undefeated record. Barrios, on the other hand, has had a rough go as of late. The 28-year-old’s slide began in 2021, losing via 11th-round stoppage at the hands of Gervonta Davis. One year later, Barrios was thoroughly dominated by Keith Thurman. He did, however, score an eighth knockout win vs. Jovanie Santiago.
Whatever name Ellis ultimately pulls out of a hat, he believes that he’ll get back on the winning track. As for when fans can expect to see his return, a not-so-confident Ellis gave his assumption.
“Hopefully the end of August or September.”