Khan to fight Salita in first title defense
Junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan of England will make his first defense against mandatory challenger Dmitriy Salita, promoter Frank Warren announced Tuesday.
They will meet Dec. 5 at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England.
Khan, 22, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist and the 2007 ESPN.com prospect of the year, won a 140-pound title on July 18 by easily outpointing Ukraine's Andreas Kotelnik.
In Salita, Khan (21-1, 15 KOs) will face another Ukrainian, although the 27-year-old Salita (30-0-1, 16 KOs) moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., with his family when he was 9.
"The fight is on. I am very excited about this," Salita told ESPN.com in an e-mail. "It's something that I knew and believed would come ever since I was a young kid in Starrett City Boxing Club. I look forward to preparing myself and bringing the title back to Brooklyn."
Although Salita has fashioned an impressive record -- the only blemish being an eight-round draw against journeyman Ramon Montano in 2006 -- he is untested against a top contender despite being awarded a mandatory title opportunity by the WBA.
"For Amir's first defense, this is a very tough fight for him," Warren said. "Salita's got a great record. He's unbeaten and carries a big punch and, of course, he will pose a threat to Amir, but Amir's a world-class fighter and has to deal with these challengers."
The winner of the fight will be required to face interim titleholder Marcos Maidana, who defends his version of the title in his native Argentina against William Gonzalez on Nov. 21.
Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.
