Dr Nitin Sethi- Meet a true hero in boxing
Dr Nitin K Sethi is an exceptional medical specialist who as a world renowned expert is vital to Boxing. He is Chief Medical Officer of the New York State Athletic Commission and a member of the WBC Health and Safety Taskforce. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and serves on the Board of the Association of Ringside Physicians.
The World Boxing Council is a Pioneer and enabler of research, concerning the way the brain functions and how to most effectively protect it from trauma and damage in a combat sports. The WBC has also worked tirelessly to adress many other health and safety related topics in our sport throughout the years and with the support of many dedicated physicians from around the world.
The WBC has invested, devoted and focused considerable time, resources and funds to this effect, spanning many years and decades. Another area which has been of particular WBC attention, is encouraging, inspiring and enabling physicians with neuro expertise to become ringside doctors. They are the guardian shields, who via their expertise, recommend to a Referee precisely when to halt the bout to avoid a fighter who is receiving one-sided punishment from being seriously injured, applying the avowed ethos of rather one punch too soon, rather than one punch too late.
His qualifications and area of specialisation are catalogued and chronicled below. Crucially, they are reinforced by the courage of his principles, to always put the health and the well being of the fighter first, placing them at the forefront. This is the benchmark gold standard for all ringside physicians.
It was put to the test in the most severe line of fire, not in Boxing, but in the UFC. In a 2019 fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, Dr Sethi recommended the fight be halted after three rounds. Diaz has suffered deep facial cuts.
Howls of protest and fury from some fans then ensued. They wanted and demanded to witness more combat, but the course of action to protect the fighter was crystal clear. As a result of Dr Sethi`s clinically correct and humane recommendation, he was insulted by an angry and vocal minority there and then and even received calls to his office.
Shaken, but not stirred, unbowed and undeterred, Dr Sethi said: ”I made an objective call, based on my assessment of the fighter, not just the cuts. Once I felt I could not longer guarantee the health and safety going forward, I had to make a tough call.”
This decisive action, invariably and unequivocally putting the fighter first, is a prime example of the evolution of combat sports. Brave decisions require the courage of caring men and women. To prioritize the safety and wellbeing of fighters during their careers, so they can live and enjoy their lives for many years to come, following the glory years of the ring. The watch word is glory NOT gory.
As we can see Dr Sethi has obtained the highest marks and distinctions on paper. He has used that expertise plus dare to care, applying it to the ring and the canvass. That is what counts!
Dr Sethi has produced a large amount of papers from his research with a wide variety of topics for ring safety. He has a deep concern for fighters and is always ready to support anyone pro bono making him a true hero of our sport.
Nitin K Sethi, MD, MBBS, FAAN
Associate Professor of Neurology
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Weill Cornell Medical Center
New York, NY 10065
Director and Chief Coordinator Brain Care Foundation
Director Weill Cornell Concussion and Brain Injury Center
Diplomate of National Boards (DNB) Internal Medicine (India)
Diplomate American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN)
Diplomate American Board of Clinical Neurophysiology (ABCN) with added competency in Central Clinical Neurophysiology, Epilepsy Monitoring, Intraoperative Monitoring
Diplomate American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) with added competency in Epilepsy
Diplomate American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) with added competency in Sleep Medicine
Diplomate American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)/Association of Ringside Physicians-Certified Ringside Physician
