Doctors and Dentists Who Became Professional Boxers in Boxing History
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Who are some of the highly educated boxers to have entered the ring?
There are three prominent names which have surfaced. These names, it should be noted, are not noteworthy in terms of social media prominence or literary popularity. Rather, these names are the highest educated this reporter has discovered in his research. For sure there are others. In the case of at least two of them, a famous name, or at least a well-known name, has somehow connected to the highly educated person. In at least two of the cases, the highly educated person was a Golden Gloves champion before becoming educated and turning pro.
Name one: Dr. Herbert Odom DDS. Known as ‘The Spartan Ringmaster’, the boxing dentist, Dr. Herbert (Doc) Odom was a Michigan State Golden Gloves champion who won two NCAA boxing titles in 1954 and 1955 at Michigan State University as an amateur. He was a 45-year-old practicing dentist when he became licensed in Illinois to box professionally in 1978, thanks to giving world champion Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns a bloody nose in an exhibition to convince commission officials. A member of the Greater Flint Michigan and the Afro American sports Hall of Fame who later owned a nursing home, Odom lost his pro debut in 1956, then pursued his dentistry path. He returned to the ring in 1979 with a second round stoppage of Eddie Partee. Between 1979 and 1983 Odom won all six of his pro bouts, three by knockout, finishing with a six round decision win in Chicago in 1983 over 24 win fighter Bobby Plegge. Dr. Odom, who pulled the teeth out during the day, and knocked them out at night, passed away in 2005 at age 72.
Name two: Dr. Harold (Hackie) Reitman M.D. A Golden Gloves champion in college, and the Great Lowell Massachusetts Golden Gloves novice champion in high school in 1971, the noted orthopedic surgeon out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, had a pro boxing record of 11-7-4 with nine knockouts between 1989 and 200. Reitman did better at cruiserweight than heavyweight during his pro career. Reitman fought and lost to Peter McNeeley. Boxing fans know McNeeley as a knockout victim of Iron Mike Tyson several months before Reitman lost to McNeeley. All of Dr. Reitman’s boxing purses went to charity. Trained by Beau Jack, Reitman fought a three round charity exhibition against Roberto Duran at The Diplomat Hotel in Miami Beach. Reitman’s televised NBA Cruiserweight bout with Tim Anderson ended in a 10 round draw in 1991, despite Reitman scoring two ninth round knockdowns.
Name three: Dr. Mikhail (Dr. Mike) Varshavski is a family medicine physician who in 2015, was named People Magazine’s Sexiest Doctor Alive, and during the COVID-19 pandemic he became a leading source of public information. He had multiple sit-down interviews with Anthony Fauci, the Surgeon General, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who used Varshavski in vaccine messaging. Dr. Varshavski’s work during the pandemic landed him appearances on CNN, Fox News, Good Morning America, and other sources. The doctor, a native of Staten Island, New York, whose life focus is on family wellness and good health, lost his pro boxing debut by four rounds decision in October 2022 to 1-1 MMA fighter Chris Avila. Let us all hope the good doctor sticks to his Hippocratic Oath and concentrates more on healing his patients in the near future.
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