When Rashidi Ellis steps into the Lowell Memorial Auditorium for his bout on June 21, it will be the first time the welterweight has fought there as a professional boxer.
In addition to housing his next bout, the historic Massachusetts venue, constructed in 1922, also played a role in Ellis’ past. He competed there as an amateur for a Golden Gloves tournament.
“I was 16 the first time I fought there,” said Ellis, now 32 years old, in a press release. “It’s like my career coming full circle after 16 years.”
When it comes to boxing, Lowell is of course best known as the hometown of junior welterweight warrior Micky Ward, who performed there four times during his career. The last time the venue hosted pro boxing was in January 2023, according to BoxRec.
Ellis is from Lynn, Massachusetts, about 30 miles away. After fighting under the Golden Boy Promotions banner and then joining the Premier Boxing Champions stable, Ellis signed with New England-based promoter CES Boxing last year.
Ellis, 26-1 (17 KOs), is fighting for the third time since his sole defeat. He won his first 24 fights, including a unanimous decision over the previously undefeated Alexis Rocha in October 2020. But he was upset by Roiman Villa on the undercard of Gervonta Davis vs. Hector Garcia in January 2023.
Villa dropped Ellis twice in the final round, which proved to be the difference on the scorecards. Two judges had the fight 114-112 for Villa while the third judge scored it even, 113-113. Had Ellis won the 12th – and prevented the 10-7 round – the tallies would have been 115-113 (twice) and 116-112, all for Ellis. The victory landed Villa a fight with Jaron “Boots” Ennis in July 2023 that Ennis won by 10th-round knockout.
As for Ellis, he spent more than 21 months out of the ring before returning last October, stopping the 14-5 Brian Damian Chaves after two rounds. In February, Ellis defeated the 16-9 Jose Angulo, who called it a night after seven rounds.
“Once these guys see my speed and feel my power, they lose confidence and don't want to fight anymore,” Ellis said.
Ellis has also been keeping busy via the Team Combat League, in which boxers take part in one-round bouts that contribute to their team’s overall score. Per BoxRec, Ellis has competed in 24 rounds on 13 shows in 2024 and 2025, going 21-3 in those outings.
Back under traditional rules this Saturday, Ellis will face Josec Ruiz, 24-8-3 (17 KOs), a 30-year-old from Honduras. The press release announcing this fight mistakenly said that Ruiz has never been stopped; Ruiz lost a seventh-round TKO to Henry Lebron in March 2022.
Ruiz finished up 2022 with a decision loss to an 11-1-1 foe and then a quick KO win over an 0-7 opponent. He then spent nearly two and a half years away before facing lightweight contender Albert Bell this past April; Ruiz lost 100-87 on all three scorecards.
Ellis is only ranked by one sanctioning body at the moment, positioned at No. 8 by the WBO. Ruiz is unrated. Ellis is hoping to land bigger fights with the titleholders at 147lbs.
“I have to give them no choice but to fight me,” he said. “I’m getting punished for being good, so I have to take out whoever stands in my way to get to them.”
He also wants a second shot at Villa, the man who gave him his first blemish.
“I reached out to him recently and asked for the rematch,” Ellis said. “He said [to] talk to his promoter, so we’ll see what happens. I plan to knock him out next time.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.