How a stolen bike fueled South Philly’s Salim Ellis-Bey to become the nation’s best amateur boxer

In an instant, it was gone. His eyes could not believe it. His tiny, orderly world was shattered. One moment, Salim Ellis-Bey was the proud owner of a metallic silver blue BMX Mongoose. The next, the 8-year-old was looking at nothing but a cracked pavement in front of a North Philly corner store on a summer Thursday afternoon.

Nine years later, Ellis-Bey can still recite everything about the day his bike was stolen. He knew he should not have put his bike down and left it. He knew that was what his father warned him about, and he knew he would catch hell when his father found out.

It left a crying Ellis-Bey punching at the air on a long walk home. The first tangible thing to hit was the stand-up water heavy bag in front of his house, and Ellis-Bey pounded on it, whomp, whomp, whomp, like beating on someone who stole his bike. Dawud Bey Al-Rasul, Salim’s father, poked his head out of the front door and saw his chance.

“That’s not how you punch,” Dawud recalls telling his son. “If you’re going to hit the bag, hit it right. Want go to the gym?”

That day started his journey in the boxing world. Now, Ellis-Bey, a senior at Franklin Learning Center High School, has blossomed into one of the nation’s best amateur boxers.

In December, he won the 2024 132-pound USA Boxing national championship and was awarded the Youth Male Outstanding Boxer award. He has an amateur record of 123-20 and is one of the hottest young prospects in the world, with every big-time boxing promoter clamoring to sign him. Ellis-Bey, 17, is trained by his father and former Philly pro Rashiem Jefferson, a three-time national Golden Gloves champion. Wahid Rahim, who currently manages WBC featherweight champion Stephen “Scooter” Fulton, is Ellis-Bey’s adviser.

Bey Al-Rasul had taught his son how to defend himself at age 5. The two would watch fights together on TV and Ellis-Bey would ball up his little fists and tap his father’s hands during breaks. Bey Al-Rasul came from a boxing family. His brother was pretty good, before the streets took him. Bey Al-Rasul wanted his son to pursue boxing at an early age, but Ellis-Bey was more content sitting on the living room couch playing video games.

So, Bey Al-Rasul was willing to wait, hoping his son would gravitate to boxing organically.

The stolen bike forced the process.

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“I wasn’t about to force Salim into anything,” Bey Al-Rasul said. “I promised my dad I wouldn’t take Salim to the gym until he wanted to go. We saw this before. My father was heartbroken because my brother had a future in boxing, and got in trouble selling heroin. That crushed my father. I stuck to not forcing Salim.”

The day his bike was stolen was the first time Ellis-Bey ever stepped into a boxing gym. He laughs, because he knows the history behind stolen bikes and the sport. It’s the reason Muhammad Ali began boxing, after his red Schwinn was stolen in Louisville when he was 12.

Ellis-Bey is not proclaiming himself to be the next “Muhammad Ali.” He’s still working on establishing himself to be the first Salim Bey-Ellis.

The first time he ever stepped into a ring he faced Steven Grandy, the twin brother of Danny Grandy, two 16-year-old Philadelphia pros who now train in Houston.

“I was just mad my bike was stolen, and I was nervous the first time I was in the ring,” said Ellis-Bey, who stands 5-foot-6 and possesses a boxer-puncher style. “I knocked Steven down. In the moment, I was more surprised than anything, because Steven had experience and I didn’t. I remember Steven hopping right back up and he was on my behind. Being in the gym was love at first feel — I felt at home. That’s what drew me to stay in the gym. I love the boxing environment and the camaraderie that comes with it.

“You go into any boxing gym, there is no discrimination. Black, white, regardless of religion, regardless of anything, everyone treats everyone with respect. You’re in there to fight, and everyone supports everyone else. That’s what I like.”

The fighting part of it took time. Bey Al-Rasul was absent from Ellis-Bey’s life until he was about 5. The father admits there were mistakes he made that he hopes his son will not make. It’s why the father is constantly on his son about where he is going, what he is doing, and why Ellis-Bey is a homebody who rarely goes anywhere without his father or mother, Shanees Ellis, who is the Local Boxing Council mid-Atlantic secretary and acting lead amateur official in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

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Bey Al-Rasul served nearly five years in prison on gun charges, he said. He does not hide from it, and it’s why he and Shanees are so rigid with Salim.

“I had great parents. I was enticed by the wrong things, and I got into things I shouldn’t have,” said Bey Al-Rasul, a repairman who also works with local children. “I come from a highly educated family.”

His mother, Nia Bey Al-Rasul, was a teacher and Joe Frazier’s second cousin. There is a street named after her in Philadelphia, at 53rd and Warrington in Southwest Philly. The late Matthew Saad Muhammad used to eat at his grandmother’s house.

Shanees lost an uncle to street violence. She knows the city well. She also knows someone young and generous, like Salim, could be an easy target.

“It’s why I don’t trust the city, because the uncle that I lost to street violence was trying to help someone when he was shot,” she said. “I don’t need to see Salim lose his life over something stupid, and because he knows how to protect himself, there are jealous people out there. Salim is a good kid. He doesn’t bother anyone. I’m very proud of him. I do fear sometimes when he goes out, with the state of the city. It’s why we watch him like hawks.”

How good is Ellis-Bey?

Jefferson compares him to current Philadelphia star Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Rahim says he reminds him of 2020 Olympic lightweight gold medalist Andy Cruz of Cuba, who happens to train in Philadelphia with Bozy Ennis, Boots’ father and trainer.

They all agree Ellis-Bey has a promising pro career ahead of him. He has been in the ring with Fulton and Cruz and held his own — as a 17-year-old high school senior with established world champions.

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But Ellis-Bey has other ideas. He would like to represent the United States at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“I would love to see him fight in the Olympics, too, but he’s the country’s best lightweight amateur and he’s too talented to not turn pro,” Rahim said. “Salim reminds me of Andy Cruz on steroids. When we needed some work for Scooter, I brought him down and he made Stephen work. Salim has a certain poise that I liked. I became acquainted with his father, and Dawud and I developed a good friendship from there. I’ll say it: Once the world gets a hold of Salim, he’s going to be the biggest thing to come out of this city in the last decade or two.

“He’s still a kid. He’s a very mature kid, but he’s still a kid. The only way he cannot reach his full potential is if he steps away from boxing. I can see him turning pro later this year.”

Jefferson likes his diligence and commitment to boxing — much like Boots Ennis. He’s in the gym on scheduled off days. In the four years Jefferson has been working with Ellis-Bey, he has lost only once.

“Salim is the next best thing coming from this city,” Jefferson said. “He reminds me a lot of Boots Ennis. He trains the right way, and he can adapt to any fighting style he sees. He wants to fight in the 2028 Olympics, but he’s too talented to stay an amateur for that long. He’s going to get top dollar. He’s that good. Good is an understatement. He’s that great.”

Ellis-Bey has a big summer ahead. He is currently on the Team USA Youth team because the cutoff age is 18 for the Team USA Elite team. He is a 12-time amateur national champion and will be fighting internationally for the first time this August in Germany.

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In the meantime, he balances everything. He attends FLC during the day, and expects to graduate in June with a 3.0 GPA. He trains in the afternoons and evenings, and keeps a tight lid on what he does and where he goes socially. He is the rare contemporary teenager with his face not buried in a cell phone.

“The 2028 Olympics are still a dream,” Ellis-Bey said. “I still have work to do. Winning a national title and the awards that come with it is great, but I’m far, far away from where I want to be. I need to get stronger. My dad can’t do it for me. My mom can’t do it for me. No one around me can do it for me. I have to do it.

“Having my bike stolen is one of the best days of my life. It brought me to the gym. I may have never gone to the gym with my dad if my bike wasn’t stolen. I don’t know where I would be if I never put that bike down. It changed my life. My life may be completely different.”

It looks blindingly bright right now.