Inactivity has been the story of Rashidi Ellis’ career. Being sequestered on the sidelines is frustrating for the welterweight contender but his vexation spills over when discussing the rest of his division.

At one stage, he pointed a blaming finger in the direction of promoters and managers. Now, he’s coming to the realization that most of the fault falls onto the shoulders of the fighters, no one else.

“Everybody’s scared of me,” explained Ellis on MillCity Boxing during a recent sit-down interview. “They know once they say my name, I’m fighting.”

Big fights have eluded Ellis for the entirety of his career but in 2023, it was ostensible that things would change. All the 31-year-old needed to do was take care of business against Roiman Villa in 2023.

The first half of their showdown was going exactly according to plan but in the second half, he fell apart, leading to several knockdowns and a majority decision defeat. Since then, Ellis (25-1, 16 KOs) hit the reset button. He immured himself in the gym and began getting to work. So far, he’s jumped back into the winner's circle, stopping Brian Damian Chaves this past October.

Currently unranked by The Ring or any of the four sanctioning bodies top 15, Ellis has a ton to do if he wants to get back to title contention anytime soon. The Massachusetts native is bereft of any upcoming fights and figures to be on the shelf until something opens up.

At this point, he’ll take on whoever is available. Whether they hold one of the four welterweight titles or a young, hungry lion looking to make a name for themselves, Ellis isn’t picky. With that said, he believes his openness to fighting any and everyone doesn’t quite matter if the same energy isn't reciprocated.

“Nobody wants it.”