At first glance, being an Orthodox Jew and a championship-caliber prizefighter could not seem more at odds. But boxing is rarely just about fists -- with fighters bringing politics, race and religion into the ring. In Orthodox Stance, now playing at New York City's Cinema Village, documentary filmmaker Jason Hutt tells the story of a young boxer determined to become, in a fan's words, "the best Jewish fighter since Samson."

Stance follows Dmitriy Salita, now 25, through the first three years of his professional boxing career. Salita's family had emigrated from the Ukraine when he was nine to avoid religious persecution, only to have the young Jew taunted by his American schoolmates for his poverty, foreign language and odd clothing. In an effort to learn self-defense, he studied karate and was introduced to a boxing club by his brother.

After losing his mother to cancer in 1999, Salita became as dedicated to Orthodox Judaism as he was to boxing, despite not growing up in a deeply religious household. He became the 2001 New York City Golden Gloves winner and U.S. Under-19 Amateur National Champion, but turned pro in order to avoid the scheduling conflicts between amateur bouts and his observance of the Sabbath ("If anybody wants a whupping from me, they got to wait until after sundown," he says). Once a pro, Salita's requested that promoters abstain from using ring card girls and Budweiser product placements, for fear that his rabbi might see. As Hutt's camera catches every intimate detail of the fighter's life -- in the ring, on the road, and in the synagogue -- it's clear that Salita is following an unorthodox path towards boxing greatness. --BARRETT BAFFERT

READ MORE:
With There Will Be Blood, Daniel Day-Lewis flouts the rules of Hollywood
Kettlebells are one of the quickest -- and most taxing -- means to peak athletic form

MVSTAT: Sandy Koufax's decision to sit out game one of the 1965 World Series in observance of Yom Kippur was not the first of its kind.  During the 1934 pennant race, the Detroit Tigers' star first baseman, Hank Greenberg, observed the Day of Atonement in a synagogue, but hit a home run and clinched the pennant the next day...