Detroit-based boxing promoter and former fighter, Dmitriy Salita, has been announced as a Class of 2024 Inductee into the Jewish Sports Heritage Association.
A not-for-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the role Jewish men and women have played, and continue to play, in the world of sports, the JSHA will honor Salita and the rest of this year’s induction class (including former President of HBO Sports, Ross Greenburg) at their Sixth Annual Induction Ceremony on Sunday, April 7, at Temple Israel in Lawrence, N.Y.
“I’m very grateful for this incredible honor,” said Salita. “I started boxing shortly after we immigrated from the Soviet Union (current Ukraine) at Starret City Boxing Club. Through boxing I was able to work towards my American Dream and am grateful that those achievements are now recognized years later. I look forward to an exciting Sunday morning on April 7.”
“The Jewish Sports Heritage Association is proud to be inducting Dmitriy – he helps dispel the myth that Jews are just a people of the book and not the left hook. In today’s world where there is so much antisemitism, Dmitriy is a great role model to help fight antisemitism,” said Alan Freedman, Director of the Jewish Sports Heritage Association.
Salita’s boxing journey began with a stellar amateur career that saw him win the U.S. U-19 Nationals and the Golden Gloves, earning the Sugar Ray Robinson as outstanding boxer in the tournament. Salita made the decision not to box on the Sabbath, which fell on the day of the finals of the U.S. U-19 tournament that he would go on to win when U.S.A. boxing changed the fight time to allow him to compete.
He turned professional in 2001 and amassed an impressive record of 35-2-1, with 18 KOs while proving a popular draw in New York. The Ukraine-born Brooklynite challenged for the WBA World Super Lightweight Championship in 2009 and won the NABA light welterweight, IBF International Super Lightweight, WBA Intercontinental Title, New York State Welterweight Title and WBF World Super Lightweight Championships before retiring in 2013. Last year, Salita was inducted into the New York Boxing Hall of Fame.
As a promoter, Salita has swiftly built his Salita Promotions company into a premier name in the sport of boxing, with several of his fighters winning championships in nationally televised showcases, led by women’s fighting superstar Claressa Shields, with whom Salita has helped guide women’s boxing back to mainstream popularity.
Most recently, Salita has created and runs the popular “Big Time Boxing USA” series of events, nationally televised on DAZN, and featuring several of his adopted State of Michigan’s best prospects and contenders.
The next Big Time Boxing USA event will held on Thursday, March 28 at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Downtown Detroit and streamed live on DAZN.
