“I do believe that America is the best country in the world and I’m very grateful for this land of opportunity. I came here with nothing.” Dmitry Salita 

In the guest corner, from Brooklyn, New York by way of Odessa, Ukraine SSR with the outstanding record of 35 victories, against only two defeats with 18 wins by knockout, the former IBF International, the WBA International and the WBF Jr. Welterweight World Champion, now promoter, “The Star of David” Dmitry Salita.  

Why is Salita tougher than life? He knows a thing or two—or twenty—about succeeding in the face of great odds. When he was nine, is family came to the US from Soviet occupied Ukraine, to escape antisemitic persecution and to build a better life. One of his earliest memories of life in Brooklyn was the stunning variety of fresh fruits and vegetables at the market, something he’d never before seen. 

He began his boxing career at age 13, channeling his frustrations with immigrating to become the best boxer he could be. He discovered Starrett City Boxing Club, which was then in the basement of a parking garage with no A/C, no heat, no bathroom. But it was free. And the atmosphere inspired him to come back—that and Jimmy O'Pharrow.  

He loves America and that in this country eventually you can be called an American like everyone else. Although Salita is far from being like everyone else. For one, he’s an Orthodox Jew and as such follows strict Jewish law; he does not fight on the Sabbath or Jewish holidays, and he keeps kosher. He lives and trains within walking distance of the synagogue.  

In 2013 he retired from boxing. Now as President of Salita Promotions based in Brooklyn, with 54 events under his belt, Salita represents some of the most exciting fighters in the world today. You could say the unanimous opinion on Salita is that he’s among the most talented, dedicated, fair-minded men in the business. A business that he’d like to see change for the better.   

Matt and Dmitry wrap up the podcast with a candid discussion of the boxing industry’s pitfalls and potential. 

When asked about the raging war in the Ukraine, it’s no surprise given his life experience that Salita feels compassion for civilians on both sides of the conflict. Of his future he says, “Hopefully life becomes sweet…we have to do our best to make it sweet.” For Salita, sharing the love makes the toughness go down a little easier. 

Check out Orthodox Stance, a documentary about Salita’s career and his life as an Orthodox Jew which received Best Documentary Film honors at the 2008 London Jewish Cultural Awards. 

Stay tuned for Matt’s FAST FIVE to find out Dmitry’s favorite smokehouse in Brooklyn with a chef/boxer owner and his favorite box office boxing flicks. 

Dmitry Salita | Web 

Dmitry Salita | Facebook 

Salita Promotions | YouTube 

Salita Promotions | Facebook 

@salita_promotions | Instagram 

@salitaprom | Twitter 

Detroit Brawl | Facebook 

@detroit_brawl_ | Instagram 

@DetroitBrawl | Twitter 

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In each episode of Life’s Tough – Boxers Are TOUGHER! host Matthew Pomara, licensed amateur boxer, and boxing writer and contributor to “The Ring” magazine and “NYFights.com,” talks to men and women in the boxing industry whose hard-won victories and personal triumph and perseverance inspire listeners to fight on.  Because life isn’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.   

CHECK OUT all our inspiring podcasts at https://www.lifestough.com/.  

In the guest corner, coming to us from New York City by way of Sundsvall, Sweden, with an outstanding record of 24 victories against only one defeat and 14 big wins by knockout, the former WBC Continental Heavyweight Champion, the European Union Heavyweight Champion, the WBA Continental Champion, please welcome Otto “All In” Wallin.  

So far Wallin’s only defeat is to the reigning heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, who won the fight on decision. Wallin's performance had defied the odds despite the loss, coming in as an over ten to one underdog. Wallin says that going 12 rounds with the more experienced fighter felt more like a win than anything. He’d had 15 years of training under his belt before he took on Fury, and he’s more motivated than ever. 

Wallin credits his father, a former amateur boxer and trainer, with inspiring him to seize the day, to give 100% effort every time and to keep moving forward. “Even if something were to happen to me; don’t stop,” his father told him. Those words would prove prophetic when just four months before the bout with Fury, Wallin’s father died unexpectedly of a sudden heart attack.  

To cope with the loss, Wallin followed his father’s advice as much for himself as for his dad. His was in the gym the day after his father’s death, fighting through the tears. Wallin finds solace in the gym. He says boxing is a “safe place” for him. His profession played an important role in helping him to grieve the loss of his biggest supporter. 

Since he turned pro in 2013 he’s been able to concentrate solely on boxing—no side hustle. In Manhattan since 2017 Wallin may always take Sunday’s off, but he goes hard core, five hours a day, five or six days a week. The Swede treats his training like it’s his job. His performance in the ring reflects his discipline and his ability to laser focus. 

Matt: “Boxing’s not a sport you play…you compete. A tiny lack of concentration could be big trouble.” 

Wallin: “One punch and it could be over…you learn to always stay focused.” 

When asked about where he finds the motivation to train so hard, the heavyweight champ admits, “It’s not always fun I’ll tell you that. But I do it ‘cause I want to be the best.” Surely his father would be proud. 

Stay tuned for Matt’s FAST FIVE to find out what sweet treat Tyson Fury compared Wallin to! 

http://ottowallin.com/  

@ottowallin | Instagram 

Otto Wallin | Facebook  

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In each episode of Life’s Tough – Boxers Are TOUGHER! host Matthew Pomara, licensed amateur boxer, and boxing writer and contributor to “The Ring” magazine and “NYFights.com,” talks to men and women in the boxing industry whose hard-won victories and personal triumph and perseverance inspire listeners to fight on.  Because life isn’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.   

CHECK OUT all our inspiring podcasts at https://www.lifestough.com/.  

In the guest corner, from New York City, the fighting pride of Delhi University, who won his debut professional bout in Star Boxing’s Rockin’ Fights series, a standout amateur with 20 wins against only five defeats, the two-time New York Ring Masters Champion, Ronny Reyes. 

Well-spoken, good looking, hardworking, a college education with lofty aspirations—you might think at 25 years old that Reyes has led a charmed life. You’d be wrong, entirely so. At age seven he and his six-month-old sister were separated from their single mom and put into foster care. Moving from home to home, as a young boy Reyes let his anger get the better of him fighting in school and in the street, for seemingly little reason.  

Reyes says not many families are interested in adopting a troubled little boy, preferring instead to mold infants like his sister. The silver lining was that their grandparents fought to keep the siblings together in the same home. This proved to be his first lifeline, as Reyes longed to give his sister a better life. When he was just 15, he got an “off the books” job enabling him and his sister to move in with their grandparents, who were of little means. At this point, he was determined to do better for the little girl. 

As a teenager he found the boxing gym, and in it, the means to release his rage. After his work outs, he felt calmer, the anger having dissipated. He loved the release it gave him, and the discipline—his second lifeline. The professional athlete admits, his was far from a normal childhood. But his need to “man up” at a young age has made him a better, stronger man. He no longer feels angry. 

Reyes graduated from high school and attended SUNY Delphi, one of the few schools with a boxing gym on campus. This gave him the ability to stay in shape, to keep his dream of winning the Golden Gloves alive. He also wanted a traditional college experience, and he recommends it to everyone. “Boxing is a tough, hard sport. It’s not for the weak. College is definitely an easier route.”  

With the help of his father figure trainer Victor and under the tutelage of the Stellates, Reyes has matured as a man and as a boxer. He feels good about his debut pro performance but is constantly looking to sharpen his skills. He also feels good about continuing to provide for his sister, including saving for her college tuition, supplementing his income by working as a personal trainer. 

Stay tuned for Matt’s FAST FIVE to find out why Southpaw is Ronny’s favorite boxing movie and to hear his clean, if silly-funny, one-liner jokes!  

@heavyhitter_ron | Instagram 

Ronny Reyes | Facebook 

*** 

In each episode of Life’s Tough – Boxers Are TOUGHER! host Matthew Pomara, licensed amateur boxer, and boxing writer and contributor to “The Ring” magazine and “NYFights.com,” talks to men and women in the boxing industry whose hard-won victories and personal triumph and perseverance inspire listeners to fight on.  Because life isn’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.   

CHECK OUT all our inspiring podcasts at https://www.lifestough.com/.  

Life is like a fight, “If you’re gettin’ hit, you’re getting’ knocked down, you get up and you get back in there and you throw punches.” —Joe DeGuardia 

In the guest corner, he comes to us from White Plains, NY by way of the Bronx, a world class professional boxing promoter with over 170 live cards, including The Paramount’s “Rockin’ Fights” series. He’s a former district attorney and 1988 New York Golden Gloves winner, New York Boxing Hall of Famer and CEO of Star Boxing, Joe DeGuardia. 

In every aspect of his life boxing has helped develop DeGuardia’s character, his strength. One night while driving on the heavily trafficked Long Island Expressway, he was in a head on collision with a car driving the wrong way by an intoxicated driver. DeGuardia’s guardian angels must have been looking out for him. The other driver died, but he escaped without major injuries, nothing short of a miracle. Still, the doctors said his recovery would take months. DeGuardia, with a true fighter mentality pushed through the difficulty, and was moving around in just days. 

 But this wasn’t his first car accident. 

When he was only 17, while training for the 1988 Olympics, he was a passenger in his cousin’s car when “a tree jumped in front of it.” DeGuardia, in the passenger seat, went through the windshield. Doctors told him he wouldn’t box again, but his desire to fight proved to be stronger. While graduating at the top of his class at Hofstra Law School, DeGuardia won the Golden Glove Championship. After graduating, rather than continuing to fight and break his father’s heart, he went to work as a prosecutor for the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. Afterward he founded his eponymous law firm. 

DeGuardia agrees—boxing is a brutal business. He’s doing what he can to change it for the better, because while there are things about the business he doesn’t like, it’s the sport that he loves.  He transformed his father’s Morris Park Boxing Club into one of the busiest boxing gyms in New York and founded Star Boxing to promote the sport in 1992. Much like the athletes, boxing is tougher than life. Over the years the appetite for boxing has waxed and waned, but when it gets knocked down, it gets back up again. It’s a sport that’s both an art and a science, which DeGuardia believes people appreciate. 

Mum’s the word on what’s next for Star Boxing! Stay tuned to learn more and get their ever popular merch.  

starboxing.com 

@starboxing | Instagram & Twitter 

Star Boxing, Inc. | Facebook 

Star Boxing | YouTube 

*** 

In each episode of Life’s Tough – Boxers Are TOUGHER! host Matthew Pomara, licensed amateur boxer, and boxing writer and contributor to “The Ring” magazine and “NYFights.com,” talks to men and women in the boxing industry whose hard-won victories and personal triumph and perseverance inspire listeners to fight on.  Because life isn’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.    

CHECK OUT all our inspiring podcasts at https://www.lifestough.com/.  

In the guest corner, he comes to us from his native hometown of the Bronx, NY, with an outstanding record of 49 wins against only six defeats with 30 big wins by knockout. Now a world class trainer, Matt welcomes the former WBA Welterweight Champion of the World, Aaron “Superman” Davis. Retired since 2002, Davis has turned his full attention to training the next generation of champion boxers. 

Davis reiterates what many guests on the podcast have said, “Boxing is hard. You have to be dedicated and have the will to win.” Davis knows what it takes to be a champion—hard core dedication and focus. Boxers don’t lead a “regular life.” Missing holidays and family events is tough. But the gift of discipline can serve you well for the rest of your life. 

At one point in his career, he was discouraged because no one wanted to fight him. Over the last five years of his career Davis won all six bouts, including a bloody battle against another former guest, Vinny Paz, who is as tough as they come. But Davis’s precise jabs and uppercuts tore Paz’s face so badly that the ringside doctor and referee called the fight in eight rounds for Davis. His last fight was against Ross Thompson in 2002, closing his career with a final win, never once having been KO’d himself. 

Davis laments that there are few fighters these days who take control of a fight. He blames the trainers for not teaching young boxers how to fight. Ironically, they’re too worried about getting hit. 

Connect with Davis on Facebook or at aarondavisbox67@gmail.com. 

***  

In each episode of Life’s Tough – Boxers Are TOUGHER! host Matthew Pomara, licensed amateur boxer, and boxing writer and contributor to “The Ring” magazine and “NYFights.com,” talks to men and women in the boxing industry whose hard-won victories and personal triumph and perseverance inspire listeners to fight on.  Because life isn’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.   

CHECK OUT all our inspiring podcasts at https://www.lifestough.com/.   

In the guest corner, coming to us from Huntington, Long Island, NY, by way of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, bringing an impressive record of 13 wins against only one defeat with six big wins by knockout. Matt welcomes staple performer of Star Boxing’s “Rockin’ Fights” series, Wendy “Haitian Fire” Toussaint. (Since recording, Toussaint logged another win against Asinia Byfield in Madison Square Garden.) 

Coming from extreme poverty, Toussaint is no stranger to what he calls “walking hard” to survive. He’s been working since he was a kid and even now does whatever he can to provide for his family. You might be surprised to learn he earns extra income as a school bus driver. He’s also a volunteer fireman. And he’s not afraid of a challenge or of pain—essential qualities for a successful fighter. 

When he was only seven, Toussaint moved from Haiti to French Guiana, where his female cousin took him to the boxing gym because she wanted to learn to fight. He remembers getting his ass beat, but for some reason, he kept going back. He spent much of his childhood playing soccer and boxing, along with working odd jobs to ensure he could eat. He became a good amateur fighter and moved to New York in search of an opportunity to advance his career. He found that opportunity in Huntington.  

Outside the ring he may be one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, but in the ring, he’s a mean dude. Toussaint credits his early success to really wanting it. One of the greatest challenges he faced was fighting Charles Conwell. Conwell fought Long Island fighter Patrick Day, knocking Day out in the 10th round; Day was hospitalized, in a coma and died four days later from a brain injury. The community was shaken. Toussaint says he didn’t know that boxing could be a deadly sport.  

After praying and mustering the courage to fight Conwell, his only loss, Toussaint says he’s a “different animal” now. He takes his job very seriously and plans to prove himself a champion. 

@wendytoussaint_ | Instagram 

Wendy Toussaint | Facebook 

***  

In each episode of Life’s Tough – Boxers Are TOUGHER! host Matthew Pomara, licensed amateur boxer, and boxing writer and contributor to “The Ring” magazine and “NYFights.com,” talks to men and women in the boxing industry whose hard-won victories and personal triumph and perseverance inspire listeners to fight on.  Because life isn’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.   

CHECK OUT all our inspiring podcasts at https://www.lifestough.com/.   

In the guest corner, from Elmont, New York with an undefeated record of 12 wins, no losses and nine big wins by knockout, Matt welcomes the most electrifying man in Rockin’ Fights history, the current ABO North American Super Welterweight Champion, “The Jackpot” Tyrone “Pretty Boy” James. Bringing a load of charisma to every fight, you’d never guess that unless he’s in the ring, this champ is camera shy. And when he’s not boxing, he’s busy working on his honey-do list around the house and playing ball with his sons. 

But James thought in 2019 that his career hit a hard stop after he injured his elbow at work, picking up trash for the sanitation department of Nassau County. He says after surgery for a torn UCL, at first, nothing was working. Physical therapy began, in a cast, the next day. He’d never had surgery before, and he certainly wasn’t used to depending upon people to help him with everything. 

Recovery proved difficult, especially after the cast was removed when even one pullup seemed impossible. But James had the mentality, “I won’t let this stop me.” His outlook, his faith in God, as well as the support and encouragement of his family and friends helped get him through. After two and a half years off, he was ready to fight, and he insisted on a title bout to boot. 

In his comeback debut, James had an outstanding performance against a tough opponent, Jimmy Williams, to win the ABO North American Super Welterweight title. He started the fight a bit tentatively, but says of his jab that knocked out Williams, “All it takes is one.” 

James is one of the most dynamic and entertaining boxers out there, and he’s proven his mental agility. The only thing this tough guy can’t seem to handle are rodents! In fact, he says, “I’m afraid of everything but people.” 

Stay tuned for Matt’s FAST FIVE to find out the worst idea James has ever had and a clean joke—both very funny little ditties. 

@thisguydaffy | Instagram 

Tyrone Prettyboy James Sr (Daffy) | Facebook 

*** 

In each episode of Life’s Tough – Boxers Are TOUGHER! host Matthew Pomara, licensed amateur boxer, and boxing writer and contributor to “The Ring” magazine and “NYFights.com,” talks to men and women in the boxing industry whose hard-won victories and personal triumph and perseverance inspire listeners to fight on.  Because life isn’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.   

CHECK OUT all our inspiring podcasts at https://www.lifestough.com/.