The Next Star Of David

I stumbled upon this excellent article from SI.com on Dimitriy Salita, the junior welterweight boxer who is the number 1 contender for the title belt and also happens to be an orthodox Jew from Crown Heights, New York.

Whether you're Jewish or not, the story is pretty inspirational and amazing in how a young immigrant from the Ukraine has been able to balance such fervent practicing of his religion along with athletic performance at such a high level (his professional record is 27-0).

HBO produced a few small webisodes on Salita earlier this year which are equally, if not more intriguing and enlightening as the article. I have attached all three parts below, make sure to watch them.

Here's an excerpt of an interview Salita did with HBO:

HBO: Jewish Pride is important to you. What effect do you think your newfound visibility will have in that area?

DS: Historically, boxing has been an ethnic-driven sport. Latin fans are driving the sport today, and somebody like Manny Pacquiao has got the support of his whole country. In the Philippines Manny is like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Barack Obama all rolled into one.

Some Jewish people who are not connected will have seen the episodes, and it's going to make them feel good about being a Jew, and hopefully give them a sense of pride.

HBO: How did your religious leader from Chabad react when you first asked him if HBO could shoot you during a prayer session?

DS: He jumped right in! He was super excited. Chabad uses every media available to speak the word of God. All the rabbis in Crown Heights were very favorable toward the filming. They feel the more media coverage Judaism gets the better.

HBO: What lies ahead for you in both your secular education and religious training?

DS: Religious training is my life. You become a better person the more rules and things you know about God. Knowing God takes a lifetime. There is so much more to learn. It's like a mountain you have to climb. As for my education, I plan to finish Touro College here in Brooklyn. After I get my degree I want to pursue further education. When I finish boxing, I hope to be an entrepreneur and go into business. We'll see what the future holds.