Boxer and dental surgeon Dr Arthif Daniel occupies two parallel professional environments: the calm clinical atmosphere of his surgeries in Runcorn and Manchester during the week and the frenetic and brutal world of boxing across Europe at the weekends.
There are times when both worlds complement one another perfectly. “As a dentist, you are commonly dealing with patients who feel anxious and scared, and you never want them to feel like that. I never mention my boxing in the surgery, but sometimes a patient will have looked me up on Google and, once they find out I’m a professional fighter, it calms them and puts them at ease. I’m not sure why, but being a professional boxer as well as their dentist just seems to be the best ice-breaker possible.”
Daniel, a super-welterweight, has fought 18 times as a professional, winning 15 bouts and losing three. The man nicknamed “Dr Hitman” had an unconventional route to the sport. Born and raised in London with a father and grandfather who adored Muhammad Ali, Daniel studied boxing and biology with equal zeal. “I was always fairly academic at school and did well. I worked hard and I enjoyed the sciences particularly, especially biology. I suppose I was always going to go down the medical path in some way. Boxing intrigued me from a young age because there was so much thinking behind it, just in the same way I’d watch those old Bruce Lee films where he tries to work out an opponent’s different styles. It was the same in boxing. You’re always thinking a few moves ahead and I loved that aspect of the sport.”
As a teenager, Daniel trained at various amateur boxing clubs in London, including Northolt, Lynn and Miguel’s gym in Brixton. He trained hard and sparred with a range of amateur and professional fighters, but never had an amateur contest. He wasn’t allowed to compete as he had a beard, which he wore for religious reasons. His parents encouraged his academic pursuits and he attained a place at King’s College London to study dentistry. While at university, he taught boxing at the sports club for fun and, after graduating as a dentist, decided to explore the world of professional boxing.
Daniel built a strong friendship with former British heavyweight champion Danny Williams, who put him in touch with legendary trainer and former world light heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, who changed the young dentist’s life. Under Muhammad’s instruction, Daniel attended the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas.
“I went to three camps with Floyd, for his fights with Canelo Álvarez, Andre Berto and the first Maidana fight. I’m a relatively confident person; I don’t get scared too easily and I just managed to connect with all of the fighters there and feel really at home. But, at the end of the day, it’s an incredibly competitive environment. When you spar, everyone is watching you and it goes for five-minute rounds. Sometimes, if Floyd wants it, there’s no clock. You trained hard, but you also laughed hard.”
Daniel’s natural warmth sets his patients at ease in the surgery and it also helped him become friends with Mayweather. While at the gym, he saw a side of the fighter that has rarely been captured on camera. “The Floyd Mayweather I got to know was a gentle and caring guy, just a very giving and loyal person. For example, every year at the gym he would invite kids from all over Las Vegas and Nevada and have schoolbags filled with books arranged by their year group. He also went out of his way to help me with feedback as a fighter.”
Daniel has also become friends with world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, accompanying him to Belfast last summer for his pre-planned confrontation with Tyson Fury. “Similarly to Floyd, what you see on camera with Deontay is often very different to what you see behind closed doors. He’s an exceptionally giving person who is completely dedicated to his family and providing the best possible life for them. Going to Belfast, a proper fight city, it was amazing to see the reaction to people with him, he was mobbed by the fans and even had a go at Irish dancing. He just loves giving back to fans who support boxing.”
Daniel’s professional debut took place far from the flashing cameras and bright lights that follow his friends Wilder and Mayweather. He made his professional debut in Hull five years ago against experienced journeyman Dee Mitchell, winning on points. His professional career has continued in tandem with demanding dental clinics, which he juggles with a detailed timetable that runs to the minute. Last year, he gave a presentation on dental health and safety in boxing at the World Boxing Council’s annual convention in Kiev.
Fellow pros often use Daniel’s skills in the surgery and he has offered to repair any of his opponents’ teeth he damages in the ring for free. “I said I’d fix my opponent’s teeth if I damaged them in the ring as I’d feel morally obliged to do that. It’s funny – a patient heard I’d said that and jokingly offered to go into the ring with me and let me knock his teeth out so I could put in some lovely new implants for him. Obviously, I wasn’t going to take him up on that offer. In my last fight, in Spain, my opponent had his mouthguard out and I told the referee as I didn’t want to hit him without it. The crowd started cheering at the sportsmanship, but I was never going to take advantage like that.”
Daniel enjoys the balance of his career. Dentistry allows him to change a patient’s life by giving them confidence they never had and boxing gives him a surge of adrenaline every time he ducks under the ropes of a professional ring. He knows his career as a boxer will be brief and intends on squeezing every ounce of ability from his body and mind.
“I’m 35 and I know that seems old as a boxer, but thanks to looking after myself with nutrition and being good, I honestly feel 25 with low mileage on the clock. I have this opportunity to push hard at something I am so passionate about and love doing. I’ve had incredible opportunities to fight and train abroad, building wonderful friendships that will stand the test of time. In terms of ambitions, I just want to give it everything I have, take one fight at a time and, when it’s all over in a few years, look back and think I gave it everything. Then I can have no regrets.”
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