In the eyes of some, Rashidi Ellis has the sort of talent that warrants a title shot. Inactivity, however, has seeped in like a virus, pulling him away from that goal.

It’s been more than seven years since the now 31-year-old has fought more than once annually. Still, even with the welterweight contender on the sidelines, he believes his skills and name recognition are enough to mention him with the elites.

“Boots [Jaron Ennis], [Mario] Barrios and [Brian] Norman,” said Ellis to YSM Sports Media when asked who he would like to fight next. “I definitely wanna fight Norman. Been wanted to fight Norman. That’s a very exciting fight.”

Despite a two-fight win streak, Ellis won't be getting a shot at Norman anytime soon. Norman, 23, is scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title on June 19 against Jin Sasaki on his home turf in Tokyo.

Sasaki is on a different level than Derrieck Cuevas. For the first defense of his title, Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) steamrolled Cuevas via third-round stoppage.

Ellis (26-1, 17 KOs) wasn't impressed. He believes Norman's team should have given him a call. The way he sees it, there's a simple explanation for why they didn't.

“They know what I can do,” he said. “They fought Derrieck instead of me, that says a lot. I would have fun with him. I would definitely come out victorious. I see a stoppage.”