By Jack Tiernan: Roiman Villa and his promoter Sampson Lewkowicz are keen to present Rashidi Ellis a rematch if he’s after defeating him by a 12 spherical majority choice final Saturday night time in an IBF welterweight title eliminator on the Capitol One Enviornment in Washington, D.C.
The judges gave the 29-year-old Villa (26-1, 24 KOs) the choice by the scores 114-112, 114-112, and 113-113.
Rashidi ought to rely himself fortunate that there weren’t an additional 15 to twenty seconds remaining within the twelfth spherical, as he was on the precipice of being stoppages by the hard-hitting Villa, who resembled a major Marcos Maidana with the way in which he was chopping down Ellis along with his sledgehammer photographs.
Ellis (24-1, 15 KOs) had a case of bitter grapes after the competition, complaining that he felt he deserved the choice and needed a right away rematch.
Fairly than taking the excessive street and acknowledging that he’d fallen aside on the finish and giving credit score to Villa for dropping him 3 times within the twelve spherical, Ellis was bitter about it.
“He disrespected me; that was his largest mistake,” mentioned Roiman Ellis about Ellis.
“On the [final] press convention, he was solely speaking about preventing Jaron Ennis subsequent and ignoring me. That gave me further energy.
“If he says he has doubts, we will do that once more,” continued Villa. “There’s nothing completely different he may do to vary issues, and if he tries to shock me and trade punches, then I can go dwelling earlier subsequent time. I’ll put him to sleep.
“I would like the rematch immediately,” Rashidi mentioned after the judges’ scores had been introduced after the battle. “I completely disagree with the choice. I used to be successful many of the rounds.”
Combating Villa once more may very well be a colossal mistake on Ellis’ half as a result of can not soak up a second defeat with out his profession being wrecked completely.
Ellis is already in a nasty place, having wasted ten years of his profession, languishing in obscurity, not often preventing, and going through poor opposition. His promoters dropped the ball and didn’t convey him alongside the way in which that wanted to for his profession to take off.
The way in which that Ellis ran out of fuel after 5 rounds final Saturday night time in opposition to Villa may very well be a product of his inactivity, as he seemed like his cardio wasn’t as much as the duty of preventing a twelve spherical battle at a quick tempo. Though the 29-year-old Villa is identical age as Ellis, he was a a lot better-conditioned fighter.
Villa ideally would really like a title shot in opposition to IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr, provided that his battle with Rashidi was a title eliminator, making him the obligatory for Errol’s belt.
If Villa can’t get the title shot in opposition to Spence, his second possibility can be to face IBF interim welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, as that will additional cement his place to problem or be elevated to full champion if the strap is vacated.
Boots Ennis is in the identical place as Villa in sitting and ready to get a title shot in opposition to IBF champion Spence, and he’s ready for his alternative patiently. If Ennis can’t get the battle with Spence, he is likely to be taken with going through Villa if that’s the perfect he can get.
“You possibly can solely get away for thus lengthy in opposition to an animal like Villa. And if Ellis desires to complain, he can have a rematch any time. Simply ask,” mentioned promoter Sampson Lewkowicz.
It is likely to be a good suggestion for Rashidi to weigh whether or not to take the rematch with Villa rigorously. He must slowly work his manner as much as this degree of opponent as a result of his earlier promoters had been sticking him in with sublevel opposition his complete profession, and he wasn’t prepared for this type of a step up.
