By James Stillerman
Salim “The Surgeon” Ellis-Bey won a silver medal at the World Boxing Cup in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, in April in the 60-kilogram division (lightweight), marking his first international medal in the Elite Division.
He went 4-1 at the World Boxing Cup over seven days, with a knockout, split decision, and two unanimous decision victories. Ellis-Bey defeated Jude Gallagher and Munarbek Seitbek uulu, both of whom competed in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, for the United Kingdom and Kyrgyzstan, respectively, with Seitbek uulu winning a silver medal. He lost to Luiz De Oliveira, who fought in the 2024 Olympics for Brazil, in the finals.
“It was a great experience. I beat two Olympians and an Olympic medalist and came up short in the final against another Olympian,” said Ellis-Bey, who believes that his biggest accomplishment as an amateur boxer was defeating Seitbek uulu. “Winning a silver medal gives me the supreme confidence that I can beat anyone in the world.”
Ellis-Bey made it to the quarterfinals at the prestigious 77th International Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, in February, and at the World Boxing Cup – Stage 2 in Guiyang, China, in June, in his first and third international tournaments of the year. He won two fights in both competitions. Ellis-Bey, who is fighting in the Elite Division for the first time, is 8-3 this year in three international tournaments.
“I am steadily learning and trying new things at every tournament in the Elite Division. They all lead to the same realization: I need to control everyone’s perspective, not just my own; control how I feel; stick to what I am doing and be great; go out there, be myself, have a great time, and show the world who I am,” said Ellis-Bey, who has won 14 National titles.
He is ranked number one in the United States and fifth in the world in the 60-kilogram division. Ellis-Bey was selected to the 2026 USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance Team after a month-long camp at the beginning of the year (January 11th to February 11th) at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“Making the USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance Team was a dream come true for me. It was one of my biggest goals since I started competing as an amateur,” said the 19-year-old orthodox boxer. “One of my first memories of USA Boxing was going to the Ringside World Championships in 2017 in Independence, Missouri, after I had about three or four fights. The first thing I noticed was that the fighters with the word “USA” on their backs were so skilled and poised in the ring compared to the other boxers, and it inspired me. It was always one of my top goals to make Team USA and represent my country on the international stage.”
In addition to making the USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance Team, he was named the team captain by Billy Walsh, the head coach of the USA Boxing Team. Ellis-Bey was also the team captain for the USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team.
“I am blessed and flattered by the opportunity to be the team captain, but it also keeps me on my toes and keeps me accountable for how hard I need to work. Everyone at this level works hard, so I need to work harder than everyone else on the team to maintain my position as team captain,” said Ellis-Bey, who has a tremendous work ethic and focus on his craft, as well as some of the best footwork and jab in the amateur ranks. “It is a big responsibility, and I am honored to be chosen. This is what I am made for. I like to go above and beyond, be the best of the best, and win medals.”
Ellis-Bey holds an outstanding amateur record (150-23). He went four-plus years with just one loss – to Marcus Luther in December 2023 – from February 2026 through December 2021. During this dominant run, Ellis-Bey won the USA Boxing National Championships, the Brandenburg Cup in Germany, and the National Junior Olympics & Summer Festival last year. Ellis-Bey also finished first at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 National Junior Olympics & Summer Festival, and at the 2022 and 2024 USA Boxing National Championships.
He trains for most of the year at the iconic Front Street Gym in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his father, Dawud Bey Al-Rasul, who also trains his younger brother, 14-year-old Antonio Singleton, who has won seven National titles and is ranked number one in the United States at the 106-pound weight class.
“Philadelphia is one of the great boxing cities of all time. They have some great world champions and Olympians like Stephen Fulton, Jaron “Boots” Ennis, Zahir Raheem, David Reid, among many others,” Ellis-Bey said. “It is an honor for me to come from this city, and I hope to be one of the next great fighters from Philadelphia.”
He is currently training with his teammates in Colorado Springs as he prepares for his final international boxing tournament of the year at the Pan-American Elite Continental Championships in Puebla, Mexico, in October, where he hopes to win a gold medal.
“I feel great for the upcoming Pan-American Elite Continental Championships in Mexico. I am working on my physical and mental state and on my skills. I am also working on my application, watching a lot of film of international, current, and past fighters, and picking up where I left off and moving forward and continuing to grow and gain experience,” said Ellis-Bey, who started boxing at five and competed as an amateur three years later.
He has gained invaluable fighting experience by sparring with several elite professional boxers:
two-division world champion Fulton (23-2, 8 KOs), world title challenger Andy Cruz (7-1, 4 KOs), as well as undefeated prospects: Deric “Scooter” Davis (12-0, 10 KOs), Juan Rivera (12-0, 5 KOs), and Jahmal Harvey (4-0, 3 KOs), who was a 2024 United States Olympian. Ellis-Bey has also spoken several times on the phone with undefeated two-division world champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Andre Ward, his role model, about how to become a better boxer.
“The insight that these fighters have given me during sparring, especially Fulton and Cruz, has been priceless. They have given me wisdom that goes far beyond skills and punches,” said Ellis-Bey, who has also sparred with fellow USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance teammates, Marcus Luther and Messiah Nimo, in the Elite and Youth Division, respectively. “They taught me what position to be in, where and how to control someone, how to control the pace, when to push and when to pull back. All these things that they have taught me I cannot learn from watching or fighting mediocre competition. I have been blessed and grateful for these opportunities.”
During his amateur career, Ellis-Bey beat elite fighters: Thomas Covington, an eight-time national champion and fellow USA Boxing Men’s Elite High Performance team member Luther (against whom he split a pair of bouts against both fighters); Yahir Diaz-Martinez, who competes on the USA Boxing Team, beating him twice; and Fynest Cummings.
“I need to continue working on staying calm in the face of battle and choosing my appearances. I need to focus on how I look to people outside the ring, because the fight in the ring and how it looks are totally different,” Ellis-Bey said. “Since this is a 3-round bout, we do not have much time. I am learning to control everyone’s perspective, which is very important at this level because fighters are so fast-paced, skilled, and experienced. I am new to this elite division, so I am learning to pick up on that. I know I have the skills to win gold at any level, including the Olympics.”
For more information about Ellis-Bey’s boxing career and to follow his upcoming fights, connect with him on Instagram and TikTok at thesurgeonn__.
“I tell my supporters and young fighters who follow my career to chase your dreams. Never let anyone tell you you cannot do something because if you can see it, you can believe it. If you believe it, you can achieve it,” said Ellis-Bey, who is chasing his dream of winning a gold medal at the Summer Olympics, which will take place in Los Angeles, California, from July 14 to July 30, 2028.
