38 | JULY 16 • 2020 

sports HIGHlights

record, and a 35-2-1 record 
in 12 years as a professional 
fighter.
The 2001 Golden Gloves 
junior welterweight cham-
pion and winner of the 
Ray Robinson Award as 
the amateur tournament’
s 
outstanding boxer, Salita 
became a professional 
boxer that year at age 19.
That’
s when he signed 
with Las Vegas-based Bob 
Arum, whose Top Rank 
promotions has represented 
boxing stars such as George 
Foreman, Larry Holmes, 
Oscar De La Hoya and 
Manny Pacquiao.
Salita never boxed pro-
fessionally on the Sabbath, 
nicknamed himself “The 
Star of David,” decorated 
his blue boxing gloves with 
silver Stars of David and 
wore a yarmulke every-
where except in the ring.
“Boxing has helped me 
with my Judaism, and 
Judaism has helped me 

with my boxing. If it wasn’
t 
for boxing, I might not be 
as religious as I am,” Salita 
told the Washington Post in 
2002.
“Every time before I 
fight, I ask God for help, 
even when I spar. You’
re 
there all alone. The only 
one who can help you is 
God.”
It was while he was liv-
ing in Brooklyn that Salita 
became an Orthodox Jew. 
He attended services at the 
Chabad of Flatbush.
Salita trained at the 
iconic Starrett City Boxing 
Club in Brooklyn, starting 
when he was 13, and the 
Kronk Gym with Emanuel 
Steward. He moved to the 
Detroit area in 2016.
A Top Rank publicist 
said this about Salita in the 
2002 Washington Post story: 
“Maybe every 75 years a 
good Jewish fighter comes 
along. Dmitriy is as rare as 
Halley’
s Comet.” 

ABOVE: Dmitriy Salita promotes 
a nationally televised fight 
between two-time Olympic gold 
medalist and world champion 
Claressa Shields and Christina 
Hammer.
LEFT: Dmitriy Salita’
s hand 
is raised by referee David 
Diamante at Oceana Hall in 
Brighton Beach Brooklyn,
New York, in 2010.

continued from page 36

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