Rashida Ellis believes she could be in a title fight relatively soon.
Ellis will face Maria Salinas on Friday at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, California, in a six-round featherweight bout. The bout will stream on DAZN.
Ellis, a 30-year-old from Massachusetts, has high hopes for her career. After competing in the 2020 Olympics for Team USA, she wants to waste no time chasing tough challenges and titles.
“We are going to be moving pretty fast,” Ellis told BoxingScene. “I could fight for a title in three or four fights.”
“I am taking over,” Ellis said. “All these girls know I am back.”
Ellis took a break from boxing for a period of time after she departed from Team USA Boxing. She viewed the time off as a positive, a chance to live her life in other ways after spending most of it boxing. After her return, Ellis formed her professional team, which includes Jeffery Mays, of Texas, who she has worked with since 2017, and Ra’sheen Ali, of Ohio.
“They both know my potential and what I can do,” Ellis said. “They push me to it.”
“Her work ethic is unmatched,” Mays told BoxingScene. “With her, you have to slow her down. She wants a title shot right now.”
Ellis’ transition to the pros was unique in that she made the jump by competing in Team Combat League, a team-based, one-round boxing league. She went undefeated this year.
“That was a great experience for her,” Mays said. “Even though it was only one round, it was a great experience without the headgear and the smaller gloves on.”
Salinas, 27-12-6 (7 KOs), will enter with a wealth of professional experience. In fact, Salinas has fought 333 rounds as a pro. Salinas, a 36-year-old from Saltillo, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Mexico, enters on a three-fight losing streak, most recently falling to Reina Tellez in June.
“They can expect me to show up and show out,” Ellis said. “My hands will talk for themselves.”
Mays, who has gotten to know Ellis well over the years, likes her attitude as she picks up where she left of in the ring.
“No matter what is going on in her life, she is always smiling,” Mays said. “It always seems like she is happy, and she gives her best.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
