Devout Dmitriy Salita fights the good fight

Published on Saturday 28 November 2009 19:57

IN THE heyday of boxing in America and Britain, Jewish fighters were well represented in the pantheon of the fistic art. Persecution and economic necessity made Jews hungry for success in the sport.

The great American Jewish boxers included Abe Attel, Jack Bernstein, Jackie Fields (born Finkenstein), Louis Kid Kaplan, 'Ghetto Wizard' Benny Leonard, Battling Levinksy, and 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom, while Britain's own Jack Kid Berg was recognised as the world light-welterweight champion in the 1930s, following Ted Kid Lewis who was welterweight champion a decade earlier.

Coach Ray Arcel trained 18 world champions in a 60-year career, Ruby Goldstein was a top referee for many years, and Jewish promoters and managers have abounded in the sport, among them the top British fighter turned showman Jack Solomons.

AJ Liebling is considered by many as the greatest-ever writer on boxing, but even he could not have imagined the story of triple weight champion Barney Ross (born Dov Rasofsky), one of America's greatest heroes whose life story – world champion, decorated war hero, drug addict turned anti-drug campaigner – almost defies belief.

Inspired particularly by books about Ross, next Saturday night in Newcastle's Radio Arena, Dmitriy Salita will attempt to remove Amir Khan's WBA light-welterweight belt and become the latest world champion from his faith.

The Ukrainian-born Jew from Brooklyn, New York, will battle Britain's best-known young Muslim from Bolton, and of one thing you can be certain – in the week ahead, both fighters will show the utmost respect for the other's religion as they have done since the WBA title bout was announced.

"There has been no problem with this at all," said Salita. "Sport is an international language as we have shown, but that being said, my job is to win and to kick Amir's ass because he has my belt. In terms of other issues, I have 100 per cent respect for him outside the ring and inside it he is a great boxer – it's going to be a good fight."

Had the fight been on Friday, however, 27-year-old Salita would not be taking part. Indeed it is only because the Jewish Sabbath ends at nightfall on Saturday that this Orthodox Jew is able to participate – shades of Scotland's own Olympic gold medallist Eric Liddell who would not run on a Sunday.

"I started to become religious towards the end of my amateur career," said Salita. "I won the US amateurs but I wouldn't go to the world championships in Hungary because I wouldn't fight on the Sabbath.

"Back then people would say to me 'you're a smart kid, go to school, because there is no way you are going to make it to the upper echelon of boxing not fighting on a Friday night'. Thank God, I have been able to get to this level.

"I haven't seen Chariots Of Fire but I do know the story of Eric Liddell and if I had been picked for the Olympics and had to fight on a Saturday afternoon then I wouldn't have gone."

Unbeaten Salita, who has the nickname Star of David, is a keen student of boxing history, particularly of his co-religionists' proud record: "I know about Jewish boxing history in England where Daniel Mendoza was one of the inventors of modern boxing and the first Jew to meet the King (George III]. Jews have definitely been a force in the sport and I am fighting in their spirit."

He has also studied Amir Khan, particularly the brutal first round knockout by Breidis Prescott which ended the young Briton's unbeaten run just over a year ago: "Medically speaking, there's no way that someone can recover in a year from the devastating knockout that Amir suffered."

Salita himself has been floored in the only blot on his record, a draw against Ramon Montana in 2006. Salita was decked twice in the first round but came back to earn a draw over eight rounds.

He said: "I wasn't well going into that fight, but I ground it out and it was important for my progress as I learned from it."

Only a fortnight ago, Yuri Foreman of Brooklyn via Belarus and Israel, whose declared aim is to become a rabbi, became the first Jewish world champion for 30 years when he defeated Daniel Santos on points to lift the WBA super-middleweight title.

"I know Yuri but we train in different gyms and I only see him occasionally," said Salita, "but we are from the same New York boxing culture and I have been inspired by his victory.

"He did a great job with his win and he has worked very hard for his title. It's great to see hard work rewarded and I want to join the club and become a world champion."

Unfortunately for Salita, Foreman is from a different level of performance. With the best will in the world, it is difficult to see how Salita can beat Khan in this, his first mandatory defence of his WBA title.

All other considerations such as politics and religion cease to exist once boxers go through the ropes to start a bout. Unless Salita can test Khan's chin, it will be the British crowd who will acclaim their hero next Saturday.

Amir Khan v Dmitriy Salita is on Sky Box Office and Sky Box Office HD from 8pm next Saturday. To order the event viewers can call 08442 410888.