Want a whupping from Dmitriy Salita? The rising boxer will oblige — unless he’s praying.
Salita, 26, is not just a dedicated professional fighter, but a deeply observant Jew, who has married the two rigorous disciplines of punching and prayer.
“You’re supposed to bring godliness into everything,” he said last week as he prepared for his 29th victory, a 12-rounder at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
PHOTO: AFP
In a sport swarming full of eager unknowns, most of them black and Hispanic, Salita instantly stands out.
Following the path of many Jewish boxers in the 1920s or 1930s, he came to New York as an immigrant when he was nine and learned to fight so that he could stand up to bullies in his tough Brooklyn neighborhood.
Coming from a Soviet background his family was not religious, but he discovered faith as his mother was dying of cancer when he was 14.
Salita, strikingly gentle and polite outside the ring, became “Star of David,” the man his trainer Jimmy O’Pharrow describes as “looks Russian, prays Jewish, fights black.”
O’Pharrow, who has run the gritty Starrett City Boxing Club for three decades, cannot hide his affection for Salita — or his bewilderment at the exigencies of Orthodox Judaism.
The major problem is the suspension of any activity during shabbat, which starts at sundown on Friday and ends at sundown Saturday.
Friday is a key time for boxing, including lucrative slots on ESPN television, and even on Saturdays Salita will refuse to fight until dark.
“I gotta learn his angles, his religion,” O’Pharrow said, as his young charge stripped to underpants for the weigh-in on Friday ahead of Saturday’s bout — racing to finish before sunset.
“You can’t take pictures of him, wrap his hands, nothing until after sundown. He can’t fight Friday night, he can’t train on Saturday, and there’s 70 other days that are Jewish holidays,” O’Pharrow said. “You can’t even call him on the telephone.”
Salita says his violent profession and peaceful religion are not incompatible.
“Judaism is peaceful,” he said, “but boxing is not brawling. This is the sweet science, an art.”
Once in the ring, wearing Star of David-emblazoned shorts, Salita relies on earthly powers.
For his first professional fight at Madison Square Garden, Salita had hoped to challenge for the WBA junior welterweight title against holder Andriy Kotelnik.
That fell through and instead he faced an unheralded and tough Latino called Derrick Campos.
Several times Campos had him on the ropes, pummeling the New Yorker in the head and body.
Salita, a smooth mover, but not a heavy hitter, ducked, weaved, and struck back.
“Dima! Dima!” cheered enthusiastic supporters in the crowd, immediately identifiable by their yarmulkes. “Upper cut, Dima! Upper cut!”
The whack of gloves was audible at 30m, each blow to the head launching great arcs of sweat into the bright light.
After every bell, an un-Orthodox beauty, her dress barely covering her buttocks, paraded with the card signaling the next round.
At the 11th, Campos began with the sign of the cross. The “Star of David” hit him so hard that his mouth guard flew halfway across the ring. In the 12th, both men fought with abandon, fists blurring in desperate quest for points or knock-out.
Salita was declared winner by unanimous decision.
Boxing writer Scott Shaffer thinks Salita would probably “be further along in his boxing career if he had ignored his religion.”
“Boxing is a sport that demands total focus,” Schaffer said. “Dmitriy’s made the decision to make religion first in his life. It’s amazing how far he’s come.”
O’Pharrow says Salita has real talent and also something many boxers do not have — ability to catch promoters’ eyes.
“Him being a Jewish boy, a white boy, a religious boy, that’s what it’s all about,” O’Pharrow said. “They’re going to make a lot of money.”
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and