By Scott Gilfoid: I hate to say this but I think World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan and lightweight Kevin Mitchell are both going to be destroyed tomorrow night at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear. Khan, shaky chin and all, will be facing unbeaten Dmitriy Salita, while Mitchell was be going up against Khan conqueror Breidis Prescott (21-1, 18 KO’s). The speed will be on the side of the Brits, there’s no question. But the power is on the side of the visiting Prescott and Salita.
Dmitriy Salita
Weigh-In: Khan 139.5, Salita 140; Mitchell 134, Prescott 135
By William Mackay: At today’s weigh-in, World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan (21-1, 15 KO’s) weighed in at 139.5 for his title fight against unbeaten challenger Dmitriy Salita (30-0-1, 16 KO’s) on Saturday at the Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear. Salita, 27, weighed in at 140 for the bout. Salita is hoping to pull off a big upset by beating Khan in front of Amir’s home audience and move on to big money fights in the future against big named stars.
Salita thinks Khan is damaged goods
By Jason Kim: Unbeaten challenger Dmitriy Salita (30-0-1, 16 KO’s) isn’t the least bit intimidated by World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan (21-1, 15 KO’s), seeing him as damaged goods because of a brutal knockout that Khan experienced last year in a 1st round blow out loss to knockout artist Breidis Prescott in September 2008.
Roach complaining of bruises from Khan’s punches
By Scott Gilfoid: Freddie Roach, Amir Khan’s trainer, recently complained of bruises on his body from the shots that World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Khan (21-1, 15 KO’s) has been landing after a recent session of hard body work, according to The Mirror. Roach has been letting Khan pound on his body pad in preparation for this Saturday night’s title defense against challenger Dmitriy Salita (30-0-1, 16 KO’s) at the Metro Arena, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear.
Salita: “Amir Khan has my belt”
By Sean McDaniel: To listen to unbeaten Dmitriy Salita talk it sounds like World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan is in a whole lot of trouble this Saturday night. Salita is determined to defeat Khan and capture the title, which he feels is his. “Amir Khan has my belt and I’ve trained very hard to take it and will do whatever is necessary to bring it back home with me,” Salita says.
Breakdown of Salita vs. Khan
by Daniel Ciminera: As I see it, this fight serves to highlight the different types of fighters Europe, especially the UK, and America are breeding at the moment. This delivers some good news for Europe.
I wont go off on a tangent, but Khan is a European style fighter, he’s fast, aggressive, and can punch with power. Salita on the other hand, seems to be another young fighter produced in the gyms of the USA, who is technically brilliant and has good accuracy and work rate.
Haye thinks Salita may present problems for Khan
By William Mackay: While few boxing fans are giving number #1 mandatory contender Dmitriy Salita (30-0-1, 16 KO’s) much of a chance against WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (21-1, 15 KO’s), World Boxing Association heavyweight champion David Haye isn’t one of them, saying in a news article from Sportinglife “Salita is a solid fighter and is very good. I know a few people who have seen him in the past saying he could be trouble.”
Khan hopes to fight Marquez, leaving Hatton in the cold
By William Mackay: If World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Amir Khan gets his way, he’ll be the one fighting Juan Manuel Marquez in the near future, not former light welterweight champion Ricky Hatton. Khan said in an article with the Daily Star “He [Juan Manuel Marquez] is made for my style and, if I beat him, people will start knowing who Amir Khan is in the United States.” Khan is hoping that a victory over a big named star like Marquez will be just what is needed to put Khan in the category of huge mega PPV stars like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Khan-Salita: Amir Will Stop Dmitriy
By Peter Wells: Amir Khan defends his WBA Light Welterweight title next weekend I Newcastle against unbeaten but untested Dmitriy Salita. Salita has only been 12 rounds once and has no punch, so won’t trouble Khan’s suspect chin. You can see it was a clever defence by Amir, don’t dive in the deep end straight away, and he could be saved from Maidana as he has been linked with a fight against WBC titleholder Devon Alexander.
Why is Dmitriy Salita ranked number one by the WBA?
By Liam Santiago: I have tried time and time again to try and figure out why Dmitriy Salita is the number one contender for Amir Khan’s World Boxing Association title but I can not, for the life of me come up with any reason. Boxrec have him ranked 60th in the light welterweight class. Yes, 60th! This guy does not stand a chance against Amir Khan. Not because Khan is great, because Salita is way below average. He has been dropped more times than Khan and that is saying something!