Salita May Retire from the Ring

Dmitriy Salita has endured a number of aggravating incidences involving his boxing career in recent years. He hinted that he may leave the sport as a result.

Salita told Raphael Geller of Haaretz, "I had some real challenges landing a significant fight. I was supposed to have a good breakout fight against Hector Camacho Jr. on February 9, then the whole show got postponed to April 27, and for some reason my match got cancelled, just like that. I found out about the cancellation by reading an article about it on ESPN.com. I put in four months of hard work and the fight got cancelled."

Salita continued, "This situation is one of many disappointments in the past several years. This one has just been more public. "

Before the catastrophe with Camacho, Salita had hoped to fight Ismael El-Massoudi, but, after Matthew Hatton unsuccessfully tried to usurp a fight against El Massoudi from Salita, the fight fell through despite a contract being signed by both Salita's and El Massoudi's camps.

Salita's frustration is palpable and understandable. He asserted, "I also feel that I am blackballed; the seldom good opportunities that come my way, as this one, somehow evaporate."

Because of Salita's lack of opportunities, he might find a new profession. Salita concluded, "Physically, I feel great, but the business and inconsistency of the sport has me seriously thinking about doing something else. I have dedicated my life to the sport of boxing, and have dedicated all my energy to be the best athlete I can be and to stay true to my beliefs as a religious Jew while pursuing my goals in boxing. I have a family to support and can't afford such things to happen."

Dmitriy turned professional in 2001 and won his first 24 fights. He remained undefeated until he faced Amir Khan for a light welterweight championship belt in 2009. The usually fluid and talented Salita was nowhere to be seen on that December night as Dmitiry was stopped a little over a minute into the first round. Recovering from the disappointment of his only opportunity to reach stardom in the sport, Salita has won his last five fights. But none have come against the level of opposition he has hoped to fight.

Whether this is the end of a noteworthy career or just a momentary spurt of frustration remains to be seen. If this is the end, Salita's boxing career will be viewed as one of dreams unfulfilled, a skilled boxer who regrettably only had one all-too-brief opportunity to try and show his impressive ability.