Rashidi Ellis thought he’d be a world champion by now.
The one time amateur star from a fighting family has elite boxing ability and speed but, even at 29 years old, he hasn’t had opportunities to show what he can do against the top welterweights.
That can be attributed in part to a contract dispute with former promoter Golden Boy, which has kept the brother of Ronald and Rashida Ellis out of the ring for 20 months.
However, now he has a fresh start. He left Golden Boy and in April and joined forces with Premier Boxing Champions, which is loaded with well-known potential opponents at 147 pounds.
Ellis (23-0, 14 KOs) makes his debut for PBC against Argentine Alberto Palmetta on the Mark Magsayo-Rey Vargas card July 9 in San Antonio (Showtime).
“I feel like a kid going to recess. I’ve very excited,” Ellis told Boxing Junkie.
The easygoing fighter from Lynn, Massachusetts, doesn’t dwell in the past because he has business at hand. However, he admitted that his layoff was difficult.
He could only watch as matchups he coveted – including one against unbeaten Golden Boy star Vergil Ortiz – never materialized for reasons that depend on whom you talk to. And he couldn’t leave Golden Boy until his contract expired.
So he did the only thing he could do: wait.
“It was very difficult, very frustrating,” he said. “I just had to stay focused and stay in the gym, get ready for the next one. I was always in the gym. I wouldn’t say it was a waste of time. Time did pass. It sucks. But I gotta look forward.
“This is definitely a fresh start. I finalley get to showcase my talent, to show everyone what they’ve been missing.”
Of course, if things go well against the Palmetta (17-1, 12 KOs), he’d love to jump into a fight with the winner of the anticipated showdown between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford for the undisputed championship.
Ellis is realistic, though. He’ll have to earn his stripes against a few PBC fighters – Jaron Ennis? Eimantas Stanionis? Keith Thurman? Cody Crowley? – before he finally gets a shot at a major championship.
“Hopefully I’ll get that next but I know it don’t work like that,” he said. “Two, three fights after [July 9], next year. You could say that.”
And he has a simple message for those who might wonder whether he can really fight on even terms with the champions and contenders mentioned above. He said confidently: “Just wait and see.”
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