Salita's Ringside Support
When Dmitriy Salita enters the ring at the Newcastle Metro Arena next Saturday night to take on Amir Khan for the WBA light-welterweight belt, cheering him on from the sidelines will be a small pocket of devoted, Jewish fans. Avrom Weisz and Stephen Lever will be running a trip for Salita supporters, leaving London shortly after Shabbat goes out, to arrive in time for the 11pm start.
Having set about planning the trip ever since the fight was officially announced several months ago, Lever says: "We decided to run the trip to Newcastle in order to make sure Dmitiry has the support he deserves - especially because he'll be surrounded by so many Khan fans.
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The tickets the two have obtained are all very close to ringside, ensuring those who purchase tickets from this package will have some of the best seats in the house.
The unbeaten Ukrainian may go into the fight as the underdog, though both are confident he can claim the win. Looking for a bit of divine inspiration to help them along, Lever says: "We anticipate all types of people will be going to the fight, some observant, some less - but on the night we will all be as one and we're sure a few prayers will go up on the night!"
Weisz adds: "We're going to be saying a lot of prayers for him, though they'll have to be silent ones! I'm confident he can win as the date of the fight is the 19th Kislev - a very special date in the Lubavitch calendar. He's a great guy and I fully expect him to win.
A win would be one of the sporting upsets of the year, with Weisz adding: "Dmitry has said he's very focused and confident that if he fights to the best of his ability he will win on the night - he said he wouldn't come unless this were the case, and we're confident he can emerge victorious."
* Ahead of the fight, Salita's announced that he will be sponsored by Maccabi Haifa's basketball team. He said: "I'm proud to be associated with an organisation like Maccabi Haifa. I was inspired by how involved the team is in the Jewish community with their Haifa hoops for kids program, which brings underprivileged and special needs Israeli children to their games and I'm honoured to wear their logo during my next fight."
Haifa owner, Jeffrey Rosen, said: "Dmitriy is a hero in the eyes of the Maccabi Haifa organisation and the Jewish community in general. We will continue to support Jewish athletes who are making an impact in both the Jewish community and their respective sport. We wish Dmitriy all the best for his upcoming fight and Maccabi Haifa is behind him 100 percent."
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