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Dmitry Salita

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In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Oleksandrovych and the family name is Salita.

Dmitry Oleksandrovych Salita[a] (born Dmytro Oleksandrovych Lekhtman, April 4, 1982) is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer. Born in Ukraine, he grew up in New York City from the age of nine.

Dmitriy Salita
Дмитро Саліта
Salita (middle, with arm raised) in 2010
Born (1982-04-04) April 4, 1982 (age 42)
Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesStar of David
Statistics
Weight(s)Light welterweight
Welterweight
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Reach69 in (175 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights38
Wins35
Wins by KO18
Losses2
Draws1

Salita is a practicing Orthodox Jew. He does not fight on the Sabbath or Jewish holidays and keeps kosher.[1]

Biography

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Early years

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Salita was born in Odesa, and grew up in Petrivka in the Odessa Oblast in what was then the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union (today Ukraine). He was five years old when he saw his first boxing match. "It was Mike Tyson, and I remember dancing around my room that night imitating the moves", he recalled.[2] Salita's family moved to the United States when he was nine years old, citing antisemitism in Ukraine, and settled in Flatbush, Brooklyn.[2] His father, Aleksandr Lekhtman, was an engineer; his mother, Lyudmila Salita, was an accountant. He has one brother, Mikhail.[3][4]

His mother originally opposed her son's boxing, but eventually became an enthusiastic supporter. She died in January 1999, after a two-year battle with breast cancer. As a tribute to his mother, he uses her maiden name, Salita, as his professional name.[5][6][7][8]

Salita graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business and Jewish Studies from Touro College.[9]

Marriage

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In September 2009, Salita married Alona Aharonov,[10][11] Alona is from the Lubavitch community.[12]

In August 2013 as part of fundraising activities for the network of Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish schools Oholey Jinuj,[clarification needed] during a gala dinner in Buenos Aires speaking with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Salita affirmed that at the end of his boxing career, he would like to migrate to Israel with his family.[13][14]

Boxing career

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"My gym's like a league of nations. I seen every kind of kid come through the doors, but I ain't never seen one like this Dmitriy. Kid looks Russian, prays Jewish, and fights Black.

— Jimmy O'Pharrow[6]

Salita started boxing at the age of 13 at the Starrett City Boxing Club. Among others, he trained with Zab Judah.[7]

Amateur career

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Salita had an amateur record of 59–5. When he was 16, he represented New York in the Junior Olympics and won a bronze medal. "I thought, 'I'm ranked in America as a boxer.' That's when I really felt like an American", he said.[15] His last loss came when he was 17 in a split decision in the finals of the Golden Gloves tournament in 2000.[16]

He followed that up by becoming U.S. national under 19 champion at the U.S. Amateur under 19 Championships in Gulfport, Mississippi.[17] At the 2001 New York Golden Gloves, he won the championship at 139 pounds. Salita won the finals on April 5, 2001, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[8]

Pro career

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He turned pro at the age of 19, in the summer of 2001.[18] He signed a contract with Las Vegas-based promoter Bob Arum, whose Top Rank stable of fighters has included George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and Manny Pacquiao.[15]

On August 25, 2005, Salita captured the North American Boxing Association light welterweight championship by stopping Shawn Gallegos via ninth round TKO.[19]

Salita remained in contention for a junior welterweight title bout, extending his unbeaten streak to 28, with a unanimous 10-round decision over Grover Wiley at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York in March 2007. Salita staggered Wiley (30–9–1) with a series of body punches in the 7th round.[20]

On November 8, 2008, Salita won the International Boxing Federation International,[21] the World Boxing Association international and WBF Junior Welterweight world title. A card held on the undercard of HBO PPV card featuring Roy Jones versus Joe Calzaghe.[22]

In May 2009, he scored a dominant 10-round shutout victory over Raul "El Toro" Munoz (20–12–1, 15 KOs)[23] in Las Vegas for his 30th win.[24][25]

Salita lost to WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan on December 5, 2009. Khan knocked out Salita in 76 seconds, knocking him down three times in the first round to defend his world title, shattering Salita's dreams of a world title. He credited Khan's superior hand speed as the reason for being knocked down.[26]

Salita made a comeback on September 1, 2010, fighting as a junior middleweight, winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Franklin Gonzalez at the Oceana Hall in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. After the Gonzalez bout, former world champion Paul Malignaggi entered the ring to congratulate Salita and propose a bout between the two of them in the very near future. On April 13, 2011, Salita (33–1–1, 17 KOs) scored an eight-round unanimous decision victory over Ronnie Warrior Jr. (13–5–1, 4 KOs) at the Oceana Hall.

Jewish heritage

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"I enjoy being different. People are surprised at how good the White, Jewish kid is, surprised that I can fight. I take that as a compliment."

Salita[6][27]

In 2009 Salita visited Israel. [28][29] During his tour he visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem, planted trees in Aminadav Forest[30] and toured Hebron in the West Bank,[29] where he visited the Cave of Machpela and other holy sites. He also gave boxing tips and sparred with local Jewish residents.[31]

Endorsement deal

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In 2009, Salita signed a deal to represent ARTHUR, a French-based Homewear company.[32]

Promoter

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In April 2011, Salita became a boxing promoter. He is the President of Brooklyn, New York-based Salita Promotions.[33] Among the boxers Salita promotes are Claressa Shields, Christina Hammer, Jarrell Miller, Otto Wallin, and Nikolai Potapov.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Ukrainian: Дмитро Олександрович Саліта, romanized: Dmytro Oleksandrovych Salita

References

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  1. ^ "Unbeaten Jewish Star Dmitriy Salita Returns on Dec 15". Eastsideboxing.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Jerusalem Post article on Salita Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine, jpost.com; accessed August 11, 2017.
  3. ^ Строкова Л. Интepвью c aвтopoм пepвoй в миpe pэп-книги. Usa.one Archived July 4, 2018, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ life.ru. Рэп-книга об одесском боксёре покорила западных читателей.
  5. ^ Orthodox Jewish boxers score a hit Archived November 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Haaretz.com; accessed August 11, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c "Dmitriy Salita". Dsalita.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Unbeaten Jewish Star Dmitriy Salita Returns on Dec 15". Eastsideboxing.com. November 22, 2005. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Rising Stars". Boxingscene.com. April 4, 1982. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  9. ^ Uriel Heilman (February 18, 2005). "The Boxer". Uriel Heilman. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  10. ^ "L'Chaim: Salita - Aharonov • CrownHeights.info - Chabad News, Crown Heights News, Lubavitch NewsCrownHeights.info – Chabad News, Crown Heights News, Lubavitch News". Crownheights.info. July 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  11. ^ "Salita: hate chants floored me". Thejc.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  12. ^ "A Brooklyn Boxer Humbled, Not Down for the Count". Forward.com. July 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  13. ^ "Orthodox boxer will make aliya". Times of Israel. August 8, 2013. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  14. ^ "Salita tells JTA he will make aliya when finished fighting". JTA. August 8, 2013. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Wartofsky, Alona (September 1, 2002). "The Ring and a Prayer". Washington Post.[dead link]
  16. ^ Archive[permanent dead link], jpost.com; accessed August 11, 2017.
  17. ^ "G-d in My Corner". Chabad.info. July 20, 2009. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  18. ^ Zaslow, Ron (January 2007). "Prospects: Dmitriy Salita" (PDF). Boxing Digest Magazine. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  19. ^ "Unbeaten Jewish Star Dmitriy Salita Returns on December 15". East Side Boxing. November 2005. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009.
  20. ^ "Dmitry Salita remains unbeaten – 03-23-2007". Covers.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  21. ^ "SUPER JOE POUNDS JONES JR. IN GARDEN BRAWL". New York Post. November 9, 2008. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  22. ^ Pusey, Trent (November 9, 2008). "Roy Jones Jr vs. Joe Calzaghe Results | Inside Pulse". insidepulse.com. Inside Fights. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  23. ^ "Boxing: Salita still unbeaten!". Fightnews.com. May 25, 2009. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  24. ^ "Dmitriy Salita Beats Raul Munoz in Desert". Thesweetscience.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  25. ^ "Salita positions himself for shot at title". ReviewJournal.com. Lvrj.com. May 25, 2009. Archived from the original on May 28, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  26. ^ Interview with Salita, post Amir Khan fight on YouTube
  27. ^ "Biography". Official Website. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
  28. ^ "Boxing: Salita faces the heat in first Israel visit". JPost.com. December 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  29. ^ a b "Champion Chabad boxer Dmitriy Salita visits Hebron". Hebron.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  30. ^ "Jewish Boxer Plants Trees in Aminadav Forest near Jerusalem". JPost.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  31. ^ Boxing Champ Dmitry Salita Teaching Sparring in Hebron, December 13, 2009, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved January 14, 2016
  32. ^ "News: Angulo vs Rosado; Hernandez vs Jones; Dmitriy Salita". Eastsideboxing.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  33. ^ "Golden Gloves Champ Dmitry Salita Jumping into the Business side of Boxing". Nydailynews.com. Tim Smith. April 8, 2011. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
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