NEW YORK– By Jordan Levine

No one could move. Oceana Hall in Brooklyn was packed for a boxing match. No one cheered or jeered any fighter on the undercard. The crowd’s silence ended until Dmitriy “The Star of David” Salita walked out to the ring. The roof off the small arena exploded.

Salita came out to prove that the loss to Amir Khan was a fluke and gain his Redemption. Salita claimed that if they fought on neutral territory, he would have had a better chance and not have gotten knocked out in 76 seconds. He decided to fight in his hometown of Brooklyn and show that his career was far from over.

 The crowd backed Salita tremendously. Throughout the fight, there were chants of “Dima, Dima, Dima.” Every time Salita landed a shot or a combination, the hometown crowd roared. Salita ended up winning by unanimous decision over his handpicked opponent, Franklin Gonzalez, with all judges scoring the fight 78-74, with the exception of this unofficial judge who scored it 77-74 in Salita’s favor. Salita had gotten his victory. He earned his Redemption. But, did he really?

Salita, now 31-1-1 with 16 KO’s, won the fight against an inexperienced fighter whose record after losing is 13-6 with 10 KO’s. Salita picked his opponent. This should have been a cakewalk for “The Star of David.” Rather, he had to earn his win against the untested, older Gonzalez. He did not redeem himself. Instead, Salita proved that he will never excel beyond the small clubs. Towards the end of the fight, the true objective fan could see his career is finished.

Unfortunatley, Dmitriy Salita does not recognize this as he and Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi agreed to fight at Madison Square Garden in 2011 at welterweight. The former junior welterweight champion could not sell out the 3,000 seat Theater at Madison Square Garden with Amir “King” Khan. There is no way this fight will happen at the Garden because it is not cost effective. When this fight occurs, Malignaggi should earn an easy victory over the weaker Salita. Then again, this is boxing, where anything can happen

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NEW YORK– By David Small

Here’s a quick look at why Saturday night should be spent shelling out 50 bucks to watch UFC 118.

1) Of course the first thing that stands out on this card is James Toney’s waistline. A close second, however, is that this is the first time since the early days of the UFC that we have a high-level boxer attempt to fight MMA style against a wrestler as good as Randy Couture. Toney is the most highly decorated boxer to ever walk into the Octagon (the walking in is the easier part, the walking out after Couture gets a hold of him is gonna be tough) and Couture is no slouch or expendable either, being a five-time two-divisional UFC champion as well as having playing a role in a number of testosterone-filled Hollywood productions. That being said, anyone with a decent boxing background wearing four-ounce gloves (as they do in the UFC) has a legit chance of a one punch knockout. No one can dispute Toney’s hand speed or power. However, Couture’s biggest advantage is that Toney’s hands are all he has to worry about, whereas Toney has to worry about nearly a dozen weapons (knees, feet, elbows, takedows, submissions, etc.) that Couture possesses.

2) The rightful headlining fight might not be the most exciting rematch, but it is surely one of the most warranted ones. Frankie Edgar won a controversial decision in his first fight with BJ Penn, and a second win against one of the most dominant lightweight fighters ever could solidify Edgar’s status both in his own weight class, and on the pound-for-pound list. Meanwhile, Penn is looking to avenge only his second defeat ever at lightweight and prove the first fight was just a fluke.

3) As announced earlier this week UFC commish by Dana White, the winner of the Gray Maynard/Kenny Florian match will be the number one contender for the lightweight belt. Maynard is a dominating and undefeated wrestler who seems to just churn out wins. Florian, on the other hand, is a well-rounded fighter and has had two previous shots at the belt. This could be his last chance for a title shot before being relegated to a gatekeeper to the elites of the division.

PARTS UNKNOWN– Jordan Levine

I wonder how much money Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones brought in their briefcases to bribe the Texas Athletic Commission. One would assume it had to be a lot be a lot because Antonio Margarito has been licensed to fight in the Lone Star State and will battle Manny Pacquiao in Cowboy Stadium on November 13.

After receiving the application, William Kuntz, the executive director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, said “After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules.” Apparently, when you cheat, Kuntz has no problem. If he didn’t, Margarito would not have received his license.

I am not against performance-enhancing drugs. However, loaded gloves are not the same crime as steroids or HGH. When Margarito puts in his wraps a substance that will turn to plaster, Margarito is going beyond cheating. This substance is used to make casts for broken bones! In fact, instead of getting knocked out by Mosley, Margarito should have gone to jail that night because he had intent to murder. There are predetermined rules for a boxing match. There is risk involved but both sides agree on it. Margarito and his camp blatantly broke the rules in at least one fight and one can assume in others as well.

Now, Margarito and Pacquiao will draw a good crowd in Arlington. Bob Arum, Jerry Jones and the fighters will clean up. But, we can stop them. I encourage every boxing fan not to order this pay per view or attend the fight in Dallas. By doing so, you are supporting the Texas Athletic Commission’s ruling, Bob Arum’s backing of a cheater, allowing Jerry Jones to profit off a fraud and most importantly, Antonio Margarito. If you do not watch this show, it will send a message to HBO and Top Rank: Margarito is not worth watching. It will tell the world that boxing fans do not approve of liars and cheaters. If you watch this show, you are allowing cheaters to prosper. Do the right thing. DO NOT WATCH THIS FIGHT!!!

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PARTS UNKNOWN– By Jordan Levine

Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1 with 37 KO’s) had a decision to make: defend the unified lightweight championships against Michael Katsidis (27-2 with 22 KO’s) or move up to junior welterweight to fight Amir Khan (23-1 with 17 KO’s) to become the first Mexican ever to win titles in four weight classes. Unlike Floyd Mayweather Jr, Marquez refuses to keep the boxing public waiting. It was announced Wednesday by the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, Richard Schaefer, that Marquez will defend his titles against Katsidis on November 27.

This will be a great fight for the whole world to see. Marquez is going to straight to the Hall of Fame and he can fight any style, either technical or brawling, among others. Katsidis is a brawler. These two will trade blows that might be similar to the first Diaz-Marquez fight in February 2009. In a disappointing year of boxing, this could potentially be the fight of the year.

However, whether it gets seen by people is questionable. HBO gave Golden Boy the fight for Thanksgiving Weekend. I don’t know how many people are going to want to travel to Las Vegas on Thanksgiving to see Marquez-Katsidis or watch it on television when they’re enjoying time with family and some leftover turkey. I encourage the boxing public to watch this fight because the upcoming calendar doesn’t look like we will get too many good fights in 2010.

It has been a sad year. 2010 promised twice Pacquiao-Mayweather. Pacquiao faced Clottey in a boring fight. Mosley got dominated by Mayweather. Diaz got dominated by Marquez in their rematch. Worst of all, Antonio Margarito is still being allowed to fight!!!

But, the last six weeks of 2010 looks promising. We will see a great fight between Marquez and Katsidis on November 27. Also, the WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan will defend his belt on December 11, probably against Marcos Maidana. These two fights can make an awful year into just a bad one for boxing. I’m personally looking forward to this and the inking of a deal between Devon Alexander and Timothy Bradley in a title unification bout for January 2011. Boxing has taken a knockdown this past year, but the sport is getting up before the count of 10 and ready to get the victory and provide the fans with great fights.

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