Boxing: Salita wins tough decsion over Delgado

By Jerry Glickat the Manhattan Center, NY: Junior Welterweight prospect, Dmitriy Salita, improved to 20-0 (11) with a unanimous decision over a surprisingly difficult Paul Delgado, of Atlanta, GA. The rounds were close and many of them could have gone either way.

SecondsOut scored the bout even at 76-76, four rounds each. The Judges saw it differently, John McKaie and Fred Ucci both tallied 78-74, and Bob Gilson scored it 77-75. After the fight the Judges agreed that it was a tough fight to score.

Delgado started fast as he landed a snappy jab and turned over some rights as well. Delgado has little power, but boxed very well using lateral movement. In the second round Salita began to back Delgado up, but was missing often. Delgado, 141 ¼, was still moving too fast and landing jabs and rights with regularity. In the third Salita began to counter punch and continued to force the action. Delgado, 12-5-1 (2), landed a sharp uppercut early in the fourth but it was Salita who stayed on top of his dancing opponent and that helped him nick the round. The fifth session started with Delgado landing a four punch combination, right, left hook, uppercut, and another right without a return. The last three rounds were crucial in such a close fight and the judges gave them to Salita who by now was cut on an ever swelling left eye. It never became a factor in the fight. Salita, 141 ½, managed to land powerful punches and was in full pursuit of Delgado until the end. He even slammed what was probably the hardest punch of the fight, a right that stopped Delgado momentarily in the eighth and last round. Steve Smoger refereed.