British boxer Amir Khan has retained his WBA light-welterweight title after winning the much-hyped “battle of the faiths” by stopping challenger Dmitriy Salita in the first round on Saturday night.
Khan, a devout Muslim, knocked down his Jewish opponent three times before the referee stopped after just one minute and 16 seconds.
Salita, an American citizen who was born in Ukraine and is nicknamed “Star of David”, was unable to follow up his bold claims made in the build-up to the fight, which took place in Newcastle in the north-east of England.
The 22-year-old Khan was successful in his first defense of the belt that he won in defeating Andreas Kotelnik in July.
He is trained by American Freddie Roach, who also guides Filipino star Manny Pacquiao, considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.