Rashidi Ellis and
Jaron Ennis nearly said "to hell with this press conference" two years ago.
The two exchanged heated words before they fought in separate bouts on the Gervonta Davis-Hector Garcia undercard in Washington D.C on Jan. 7, 2023. There was an overall belief that the pair would face off next.
It was a simple scenario for both men to follow. Ennis needed to take care of business against Karen Chukhadzhian, which he did via unanimous decision, while Ellis needed to beat Roiman Villa. He didn't.
Despite coming up short that night, Ellis (26-1, 17 KOs) would love to revisit a showdown with "Boots" Ennis.
The circumstances surrounding the matchup are different now. Ellis isn’t undefeated, but he is on a two-fight win streak. Unlike in 2023, Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) is bringing hardware to the table.
“That fight gotta happen,” Ellis said to YSM Sports Media. “That was supposed to happen. Now he has three belts so it’s even better.”
The Ring, IBF, and WBA welterweight straps are in Ennis’ possession, but the Philly star is hoping to grab two more.
Recently,
Eimantas Stanionis had the uphill task of trying to dethrone Ennis, but that proved fruitless. Now that his stock has reached an all-time high, Ellis is sitting back and observing the landscape. He’s scheduled to face a yet-to-be-determined opponent on June 21 and wants to use his momentum to get back on Ennis’ radar.
Ultimately, there’s still enough disdain between them to move forward with a fight that fans may care about. If or when that fight does happen, Ellis knows one thing and one thing only.
“I’m definitely coming out victorious,” Ellis said with a smile. “I know everybody’s high on him, but I’m definitely coming out victorious.”