Amir Khan Vs. Dmitriy Salita

A lot of British fight fans view this one as a foregone conclusion. Dmitriy Salita has only fought bums, they say, Amir Khan will school him yadda yadda. I'm not so sure and I have a hunch that a lot of Khan followers are in for a surprise come the 5th December.

A couple of years ago, I was wasting time on You Tube (no doubt procrastinating on more worthwhile endeavours) when I typed in 'boxing documentary'. The first entry was a BBC film on a young Salita called 'Orthodox Stance.' Ostensibly it followed the difficulties he faced accommodating his Orthodox Judaism while entering the professional ranks, although - to its detriment - it focussed more on religion than boxing. Still, it was an entertaining film and I was impressed with Salita's skills. Since then I have kept as close an eye on him as possible.

Like Khan, Salita has an impressive amateur pedigree, 59-5, with the crowning achievement of a Golden Gloves win in 2001. Upon turning professional, he signed with Bob Arum's Top Rank and looked set to blaze a trail to the summit of the light welterweight division. So far that hasn't happened. The list of his 31 opponents reads like a who's-who of nobodies and it's difficult to fathom why. Bob Arum is a highly experienced promoter, his stable of fighters has included George Foreman, Thomas Hearns, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao and many other legends, and this, allied with the springboard of a Golden Gloves win, should have propelled Salita towards a title fight much sooner than his 32nd bout. To put that in context; Khan is five years younger at 22 and won his WBA belt in his 21st match.

Perhaps the practice of his orthodox Judaism has played a part in this. Salita refuses to fight on the Jewish Sabbath, which runs from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. Boxing matches traditionally take place on a Saturday with up-and-coming fighters appearing on the undercard of more established names; so, outside of winter when it gets dark early, Salita will have been unable to contest these fights, making it difficult to attract a high calibre opponent. He also refuses to associate himself with any sponsors which Judaism deems objectionable. There is a telling incident in 'Orthodox Stance' when Salita's advisor refuses to allow a sponsors' bottle of beer to be placed on a table in front of his man during a press conference. Maybe this uncompromising behaviour has cost him. Sponsorship can increase not only bank balances, but exposure.

Despite this, Salita is still young at 27 and has an opportunity to claim a world title. Whether he can win is another matter. He has never fought an opponent of Khan's quality before and is in uncharted territory. Granted, in the fights I have seen - which haven't been many owing to the reasons above - he has looked immensely impressive. Stylistically he is reminiscent of Mikkel Kessler; a real strong all-rounder without any one standout attribute but, rather, is accomplished - without particularly excelling - in all aspects of his game.

Amir Khan is blessed with both fast hands and explosive power and if it wasn't for his suspect chin he could truly rule the world. His career appeared in tatters when he was spectacularly knocked out inside a minute by Briedis Prescott (and if he has the lofty ambition of becoming an all-time great he will have to avenge that loss) but he has responded admirably by overcoming two difficult opponents - Marco Antonio Barrera and Andriy Kotelnik - since then. Oh and Oisin Fagan.

Granted, Barrerra was long past his sell by date - his bout against Khan was his 71st - but you can't buy that kind of wily experience and Khan did well to win. Following that, he defeated the tricky Ukrainian Kotelnik in a unanimous points decision to claim the WBA light welterweight title, which is all the more impressive in light of his recent disastrous defeat.

Under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, Khan has radically overhauled his style since blocking Prescott's haymaker with his chin; he is a more cautious fighter and no longer attempts the steamroller approach, instead he fights at range with the jab, and occasional flurries, while keeping his chin safely tucked away. He is unlikely to make any changes against Salita, hoping his superior speed will help out-point the Ukrainian and if he manages to land a big punch, that's a bonus, but the main thing is to retain the steady, conservative style that has been his hallmark post-Prescott.

Salita will want to test Khan's chin and discover if it is as fragile as many believe, but he won't take unnecessary risks to do so - not unless he's drinking in the proverbial last chance saloon (not that he would drink in a saloon - proverbial or otherwise). Salita will have to counteract Khan's speed and hopefully he will aim to do this with a busier work rate and high pressure style, while probing for an opening to unload the punch that will end the fight.

Some believe Salita's record flatters to deceive and he will be found out, while others think he has been hampered by the uncompromising practice of his religion. Whatever the case, we will all find out at the beginning of December. Part of me - the considered, judicious part - thinks that Khan will outpoint, if not totally outclass, Salita but I'm going to take a punt and predict a Bernard Dunne style nightmare for the lad from Bolton.

Prediction: Salita win by KO.

Hey look, I've written this whole article without mentioning the fight is between a Muslim and a Jew. Oh shit...