JUNE 27 • 2024 | 25

Orthodox Jew Dmitriy Salita Is Named 
the USBA’s Boxing Promoter of the Year

Orthodox Jewish boxing 
promoter Dmitriy Salita 
was named the United 
States Boxing Association’s 
promoter of the year by 
the International Boxing 
Federation.
Salita and his Detroit-
based Salita Promotions also 
won an award for the USBA’s 
fight of the year. That was a 
bout between Ali Izmailov, a 
Russian-born boxer fighting out 
of Salita’s stable, and Charles 
Foster for the USBA light heavyweight title. Izmailov won by unanimous 
decision.
Salita Promotions hosted the first boxing event ever at Little Caesars 
Arena last year. The card featured a successful undisputed world 
middleweight title defense by Flint’s Claressa Shields, whom Salita 
promotes. This year, Salita Promotions launched the “Big Time Boxing 
USA” series.

Rob’s Guys Don’t Win Bowling League 
Title, but There Is a Silver Lining
There was good news and bad news at the end of the season for a 
team of mostly Jewish bowlers in the Tuesday Night Farmington Men’s 
League at Perfect Game in Farmington Hills.
After winning the 14-team weekly league’s first-half championship, 
Rob’s Guys slipped to the No. 3 seed in the playoffs and finished in 
third place. 
“But that’s the best we’re done in our three seasons together,” Rob 
Pliskow said.
Pliskow is the youngest of the three Jewish members of the team. 
The West Bloomfield resident is 70. Madison Heights resident Gary 
Gold is 71 and Farmington Hills resident Bernie Goodstein is 81. David 
Opperman of Farmington Hills, the Jewish bowlers’ teammate, is 74.
Even though most of the bowlers in the league aren’t Jewish — 
there were about a dozen Jews in the league, Pliskow estimated — 
there was no bowling on what would have been the final night of the 
season because it was the second night of Passover.
The final night and postseason banquet were held on the same 
night a week later. 
Pliskow is a former longtime B’nai B’rith bowler. He was president of 
the Morgenthau-L’Chayim-Zeiger-Gross-Jewish War Veterans League 
for 10 years.

Meet Rob’s Guys: Dave Opperman, Bernie 
Goodstein, Rob Pliskow and Gary Gold.

RAY SINAI

Claressa Shields and Dmitriy Salita.

SALITA PROMOTIONS

