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11/19/2004 Archived Entry: "Salita wins decision in DiBella Promotion"
Salita wins decision in Manhattan
By Charles Bogle
Attending DiBella Entertainment's latest installment of its "Broadway Boxing" series on Thursday night at the Manhattan Center in New York City was like walking into the General Assembly of the U.N. Junior middle Pawel Wolak's supporters happily waved Polish flags, chanted, and sang songs as he opened the show against Joseph Benjamin, while fans of middleweight John Duddy swapped stories about which county in Ireland they hailed from and how long they'd been in the States. Meanwhile, a large contingent of yarmulked-and-bearded Ukranian Jews from Brighton Beach were on hand to cheer on junior welterweight Dmitry Salita, who won a decision in the main event. The sold-out crowd was enthusiastic and appreciative throughout the night.
As for the fights themselves? Well . . . . This particular card was more about delayed gratification, about watching prospects sharpen their skills and learn how to deal with different kinds of fighters, than it was about any especially scintillating matchups. DiBella has made a point of showcasing local talent that's on the way up, which, ultimately, will be great for the sport by providing fresh blood with a local fan base that's been cultivated carefully. Eventually, though, DBE is going to have to put its stable up against more meaningful competition, or at least provide more competitive fights, if this series is to continue to attract the kind of response that it received last night.
Mt. Arlington, New Jersey's Pawel Wolak (154.75lbs, 4-0, 2 KOs) took on tough Joseph Benjamin from Miami (153.5 lbs, 1-6-1, 1 KO) in a four-round bout to open the night. Benjamin provided a good lesson for Wolak in how to fight a slick boxer who knows how to clinch and grab at the right time, and even managed to land some looping overhand rights of his own in the early going. However, Wolak's strength eventually caught up with Benjamin, who went down in the third and took a good beating in the fourth en route to losing a unanimous decision (40-35 twice and 39-36), delighting Pawel's Polish fans. Kevin Cruz (174.25 lbs) continued the action against Louisville's Darrin Johnson (176 lbs) in another four-round contest. Cruz, from Brooklyn, New York, was rough but game, and dominated his relatively unskilled, but still cagey opponent, winning all four rounds in a sloppy contest that involved more backhanding and mugging for the crowd than actual shots landed. With the win, Cruz improves to 3-0, 1 KO, while Johnson drops to 3-5, with all three wins by way of knockout.
The night provided its share of knockouts as well, albeit against less than stellar competition. Unbeaten Queens light-heavyweight Jaidon Codrington (169 lbs), who was greeted with raucous applause by the crowd, used a punishing body attack to wear down, and ultimately stop, his outgunned Jamaican opponent, Anthony Osbourne (164.25 lbs). Osbourne, coming off a year's layoff and fully three weight classes above his last bout, simply didn't have the firepower to hold off his much bigger opponent, but put in a spirited effort nonetheless in dropping to 2-4-1. Codrington, for his part, improved to 5-0, all by knockout, but ought to start picking on guys his own size. Local favorite Curtis Stevens (169.75 lbs) made even shorter work of Lowayne Cooper (176 lbs), knocking him from pillar to post in the first before putting him flat on his back at 2:19 of the second. Stevens has been coming down in weight recently (he was ten pounds lighter last night than he was in his last fight a mere month ago), but he seems to have brought his power down to the super-middleweight division, and improves to 3-0, all by knockout, while Lowayne Cooper, falls to 3-2 (3 KOs). Finally, "Irish" John Duddy (159 lbs), from Brooklyn by way of County Kerry, Ireland, easily dismantled Mississippi's William Johnson in 0:39 of the first round. Duddy, to the delight of the Irish contingent, notched his sixth win in as many fights, all by knockout, while Johnson fell below the .500 mark at 1-2 (1 KO).
By now a veteran of the Broadway Boxing series, Queens cruiserweight Ehinomen Ehikhamenor (yeah, I don't know how to pronounce it, either) gave a fairly one-sided beating to North Carolina's Mark Miller (193 lbs). Ehikhamenor looked fairly trim for his announced 194.5 pounds, and showed a surprisingly good uppercut and body attack for a larger man. He had Miller bleeding from the mouth by the second, and eventually put him down at the tail end of the 4th, after which the referee waived off the contest. Ehikhamenor improves to 9-0, with six knockouts, with the win, while Miller falls to 4-5-1 (4 KOs). It's about time to start putting Ehikamenor in against better competition to see what he's really got.
Much of the crowd, particularly those with fancier headgear and facial hair than most, was on hand to see Brighton Beach's Dmitry Salitas (141.5 lbs) take on Georgia's Paul Delgado, who also weighed in at 141.5 pounds. Salitas has been following a career path carved out by fellow New Yorker and Broadway Boxing alumn Paulie Malignaggi, most recently by scoring a unanimous eight-round decision over a former Malignaggi opponent, veteran trial horse, Rocky Martinez, last May. Salitas is a very different fighter from the "Magic Man," however, much more of an orthodox boxer/puncher, and a tendency to brawl that Malignaggi lacks. Their styles might provide for an interesting matchup down the line, and their incredibly supportive local fan base would no doubt make it a lucrative bout as well.
But if that fight is ever to happen, Salitas will have to improve on his performance of last night. Many of the eight rounds against Delgado were see-saw affairs, but were fairly close, and Delgado used his superior speed to take at least one or two rounds in the early going. Indeed, halfway through the bout, I had it scored dead even. Salitas pulled away from the sixth through eighth rounds, however, particularly finding a good rhythm in the seventh to use his counterpunching ability and raw strength to outlast Delgado down the stretch. The unanimous decision for Salitas (78-74 twice, 77-75) brought cheers from the assembled crowd, but also had some muttering darkly about a "hometown decision" on their way out the door. In my view, Salitas won a close, but clear, decision, and had been getting stronger as the bout went on.
Last night provided the kind of test that Salitas will need more of if he is to continue to progress as a fighter. His record, improving to 20-0 (11 KOs) with this win, is perhaps more impressive than his development at this point, and he could use a few more Broadway Boxing showcases against tougher competition to see where he stands in the very crowded, and talent-rich, junior welterweight division. One would have to say that at this stage, Malignaggi likely would be too much for Salitas, and would use his vastly superior boxing skills to pepper the Ukranian from the outside and frustrate him all night. Still, given the incredible local turnout and enthusiasm that both fighters have shown capable of providing, it would be a fight I'd enjoy seeing.
