Welterweight contender Rashidi Ellis respects Roiman Villa, his opponent on the Gervonta Davis-Hector Luis Garcia pay-per-view card Saturday in Washington, D.C.
The Venezuelan has knocked out 24 of his 26 opponents, evidence of his prodigious power. A potential problem for Villa? Ellis, an excellent boxer-puncher, loves the idea of an opponent who will come directly to him.
“Yeah, that style is tailor-made for me,” he told Boxing Junkie.
Of course, Ellis (24-0, 15 KOs) has demonstrated that he can handle any style during his rise to contention. The perfect record is evidence of that.
At the same time, he says fans haven’t seen him at his very best. That’s one reason he’s excited about facing an aggressive – and capable – fighter like Villa (25-1, 24 KOs).
“He’s a tough competitor,” Ellis said. “I hope he forces me to put out more so you can see more from me.”
Ellis hasn’t had many opportunities to show what he can do the past several years, the result of issues with Golden Boy Promotions. He fought only twice between October 2018 and this past July, inactivity that slowed his progress to a crawl.
Now with Premier Boxing Champions, he hopes to build momentum and get a shot at a major title.
One potential opponent he fancies is unbeaten Jaron Ennis, a gifted, hard-punching beast few are eager to meet. Ellis said he’s more than willing to take the risk, a word that seems to paralyze many rising fighters.
“That’s kind of messing up the game of boxing,” he said, referring to the aversion to risk. “A lot of people think like that so a lot of great fights aren’t happening. I want to fight Ennis. We’re both flashy, we both like to talk s—in the ring. It’ll be a great fight to watch.”
First he has to beat Villa. Then he and his handlers will discuss what might come next, whether that’s Ennis or someone else. He has no choice but to be patient, something he learned to master in a sometimes-frustrating career.
“It’s part of the game, part of life,” he said. “All I can do is keep winning.”
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