36 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2024
J
N

Y

ou’re just as likely to find
Dmitriy Salita in shul as
you are at a boxing gym.
And that dichotomy defines his
life and career. A deeply religious
Orthodox Jew who wears a
yarmulke and attends services daily,
Salita, 42, of Southfield, is also a
former professional boxer and a
2024 inductee in the Jewish Sports
Hall of Fame.
When he’s not engaged in
religious observances or with
his two children, Salita spends
time running his rapidly growing
business Salita Promotions,
managing the careers of dozens of
boxers from Michigan and across
the United States and working to
make an impact on the sport he
says saved his life.
“God gives everyone a unique
talent and place in the world, and
I was fortunate to find it very early
in life,” he says. “I feel my unique
experiences and my vision and love
for boxing will improve the sport
and give great opportunities to the
boxers I represent and the fans.”

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
In 1991, Salita was just 9 years old
when he and his family fled Odessa,
Ukraine, to escape antisemitism,
seeking a new life in Brooklyn,
New York. The family struggled
financially. Dmitriy didn’t speak
a word of English and was bullied
for the way he talked and dressed.
At age 13, he found refuge at
Brooklyn’s Starrett City Boxing
Club. Trainer Jimmy O’Pharrow
took him under his wing.

“The gym was in the basement
of a parking garage. There was no
heat or air conditioning, no running
water, no bathrooms or windows,
just one ramp into the basement,”
he recalls. “It was truly the school
of hard knocks. Jimmy taught me
boxing and also gave me the school
of life.”
Salita thrived in the rough and
tumble world of boxing. As a
scrappy teenager who showed early
promise, he found in the sport his
pathway out of poverty and a place
to channel his pain. His mother,
Lyudmila, was diagnosed with
breast cancer just as his boxing
career was getting started.
That’s when Judaism became
another central focus. A Chabad
rabbi began studying with Dmitriy,
helping him find meaning in all
the chaos. His mother died two
years later and Dmitriy took on
her maiden name, Salita, as his
professional name in her honor.
“I always believed in God, but
that’s how my observance started,”
he says. “Boxing and Judaism
intertwined in my life.”

A RISING STAR
In the ring, Salita was a rising
star. He racked up a 54-5 amateur
record, won the 2000 U.S. National
Under-19 Championship and
the New York Golden Gloves in
2001, where he was selected as the
tournament’s standout boxer.
He turned pro at age 19 and
had a record of 35-2-1 in 12 years
as a professional fighter, winning
the World Boxing Foundation

Dmitriy Salita is on a mission to bring ‘Big Time Boxing’ back to Detroit.
A Knockout Career

ROBIN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

Two-time Olympic Gold
Medal winner and four-
weight world champion
Claressa Shields with
Dmitriy Salita following
a successful fight at
Little Caesars Arena

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