The Orthodox Jewish Boxer

Dmitriy Salita:

  “Since there are not a lot of Jewish athletes, I definitely feel pressure,” Dmitriy Salita says. “It's irresponsible to say that you don’t feel pressure.” Salita, a professional boxer with a record of 35-1-1, immigrated to New York from Ukraine in 1991. Upon arrival in America, he was stunned to see entire streets of Jewish communities, and he quickly combined two devotions: Judaism and boxing. Salita says religion and community have given him the drive to succeed both inside and outside the ring. “Boxing is a spiritual experience,” Salita says. “I think a boxing gym, more than anywhere else, attracts different persons of different personalities. It really helped me learn American culture.”