Rashidi Ellis to headline CES show in Massachusetts

Press Release

18/10/2024

Rashidi Ellis to headline CES show in Massachusetts

On Friday, October 25th, "Speedy" Rashidi Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) headlines a seven-bout CES Boxing card near his hometown when he takes on Argentina’s Brian Chaves (14-5, 5 KOs).  The action takes place at the Oceanside Revere in Revere, Massachusetts and will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN. Tickets can be purchased at CESFights.com. The bout serves as a reintroduction of sorts for the 31 year-old welterweight.  A native of Lynn, MA, Ellis has not fought in the Boston area since his fourth pro bout at the House of Blues in 2014.  "It feels really good to fight at home," said an ecstatic Rashidi.  "The last time I fought back home was over 10 years ago.  People haven’t seen me fight here since I was a little kid. I’m a grown man now, and I’m going to work."
 
Rashidi’s career has been a long winding road that has led him back home, where he, his brother Ronald and his sister Rashida used to set up neighborhood boxing matches in their family basement as teens.  Rashidi packed his bags at 21 and fought ten consecutive times in the Caribbean before signing a promotional agreement with Golden Boy Promotions in 2016. Linking up with a powerful promoter paid dividends at first, as Ellis quickly burst on the scene with a first-round knockout of then-highly regarded Eddie "E-Boy" Gomez.  Three years and 5 fights later, Rashidi proved the first fight wasn’t a fluke when he virtually shutout Gomez over ten rounds.  
 
The win set up a showdown of unbeaten prospects as Ellis faced Alexis Rocha in 2020.  Rashidi was too slick, fast and smart for Rocha, winning a unanimous decision over 12 rounds.  The sky seemed to be the limit, but instead of a world title shot, Ellis spent the next two and a half years on the shelf. "It’s no secret, they obviously wanted him to win," says Ellis when reflecting on what should have been a breakout win.  "I was an East Coast boxer fighting on the West Coast, and I guess I wasn’t a priority for them."
 
After securing his release from Golden Boy in 2022, Ellis joined the PBC, where he quickly scored a first round TKO in his first bout.  Rashidi was working his way to a title shot against Jaron "Boots" Ennis when he ran into Roiman Villa, a heavy-handed Venezuelan who was also hungry for a title shot. Rashidi started fast, utilizing his jab, feints and quick counters to pile up points against the slower Villa.  By the mid to late rounds, the momentum shifted as the Venezuelan pressed forward, forcing Ellis into exchanges.  Rashidi suffered two twelfth-round knockdowns, the second just before the final bell.  With the knockdowns, Villa eked out a disputed majority decision.  
 
"I don’t want to say that I have bad luck, but it’s something like that," laments Ellis when analyzing his career.  "There were a lot of issues with contracts and fights falling through, and a lot of bullshit happening."
 
Returning to Lynn, Rashidi pondered what was next before running into Jimmy Burchfield, Sr. at a CES Boxing card.  The promoter was looking for fighters to join the Boston Butchers, his newest venture as the General Manager of the Team Combat League franchise. "It was a good experience," says Rashidi, who won 11 of his 12 bouts and led the Butchers into the semi-finals in their inaugural season.  "It was good for me because of the activity.  We fought every few weeks and I loved it." 
 
In addition to reestablishing himself on the Boston scene and shedding ring rust, Rashidi was able to gauge the type of person Burchfield is and the kind of organization he is running. "I got to see how they move and do things," explains Ellis of CES Boxing.  "They seem like really good people.  We connected on the TCL, so this came about."
 
As soon as the season was over, Burchfield went to work to secure Ellis a main event card in his hometown. "I’m looking to make a statement on October 25th because I’ve been away for a long time," says Ellis.  "People overlook me because I haven’t been active.  A lot of people don't know if I'm still in the sport, but I'm still here.  I’m here to stay and I’m ready to take over.  It's gonna be on DAZN, where I had my biggest wins against Eddie Gomez and Alexis Rocha, so that’s even better." 
 
In front of him on October 25th will be Brian Chaves, a tough Argentine who has shared the ring with the likes of Chordale Booker, Vaughn Alexander and Jeremias Ponce. "Chaves is decent, but he's not good enough," says a confident Ellis. "He's good enough to put on a good show though."
 
Mapping out his future, Rashidi and CES have conjured up a clear 3-step plan to get him where he should have been all along. "Right now, I'm just focused on getting active," explains Ellis. "I want to get back in the rankings.  Once I'm back in the rankings, I don't want to hear no excuses from these dudes.  They’re going to have to fight me."
 
Asked which of the welterweight champions he prefers to fight first, Ellis answers emphatically. "I want to fight [WBO champion] Brian Norman," states Rashidi.  "The only reason why I wanna beat him up is because his father was talking a lot of trash.  Then I want the rest of them: Eimantis Stanionis [WBA] , Boots Ennis [IBF} and Mario Barrios [WBC].  I need those world titles. I'll be there real soon. I’m knocking on the door."
 
But first, Ellis needs to reacquaint himself with his hometown fans, and he plans to do so in spectacular fashion. "Make sure you guys come through," says Ellis of Halloween Knockout.  "I’m going to put on a great show like I always do, and the whole card is packed with a lot of good fighters.  It’s gonna be spooky!"