The Boxing Dentist by David Bretton

David Bretton: ‘Dr. Hitman,’ it’s great to finally meet you. Would you tell our readers a little bit of background information about yourself? Where are you from and where are you based now?

Arthif Daniel: I was born and brought up in Harrow, North West London. I stayed in London growing up and went to Dental School at Kings College London.

After the third year of dental school, I intercalated and completed a BSc in sports and exercise science before then returning to my dental studies and graduating with my BDS in 2008.

I moved to Birmingham for one year (2008–2009) to complete my vocational training, then returned to London, where I worked as both an associate in general practice and as a senior house officer in restorative and oral surgery at Guy’s and St. Thomas’.

I also spent some time teaching at the Primary Dental Care at Kings College under professor Stephen Dunne. Around 2013, I moved north to Manchester to progress both my dentistry and boxing.

Boxer Amir Khan and his team are based in Bolton, close to Manchester, and they were helping me with my professional career. I was also starting my master’s in dental implantology with the Tipton Training team in Manchester, so everything fell into place.

I’m now living in Manchester, where I am working as an associate at Westpoint Dental Care and also continuing my boxing.

DB: How old were you when you started boxing, and what got you into it?

AD: My dad was a very good amateur boxer and boxing was therefore very popular in our house. We were big fans of Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Tommy ‘Hitman’ Hearns … and then there was also some great British boxers such as Prince Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank. I started boxing myself when I was 8 years old, and just loved it from starting.

DB: What gyms do you work out at?

AD: I train at Amir Khan’s boxing gym in Bolton and I also work on my strength and conditioning at David Lloyd’s.

DB: Have you ever sparred with Khan?

AD: Ha-ha, no—we have too much brotherly love to do that. I remember we were once training together in San Francisco. I was in peak condition, because I had been in Vegas training, and Amir was just starting his training camp. We were asked if we wanted to spar together. We both just looked at each and laughed. Neither of us wanted to hit each other—probably a good thing for me!

DB: How do you think he got on in I’m a Celebrity in the Jungle?

AD: I think he came across really well. Anyone who knows Amir knows that he wears his heart on his sleeve. What you see is what you get, and it was good for the public to see that. For example, when he gave his meal ticket to the elderly gentleman, Stan. Gestures like this allowed his character to shine through.

It’s also just entertainment, and things like when he ate the strawberries and cream, it’s just him playing around and having some fun and banter. I commend him for going into the jungle and facing all those challenges, because I wouldn’t be able to do anything like that.

DB: What is a standard day for you, fitting in both dentistry and your training?

AD: I train twice a day. Some days I start the clinic in the morning and others in the afternoon, working into the evening. Often my days start with a morning workout, which focuses on my strength and condition. I do different exercises to work on my fitness—running, swimming, etc. My cardiovascular workouts are combined with a carefully planned weights regime. I then go to my clinics, where I perform a variety of dentistry, ranging from general dentistry to more complex cosmetic dentistry, implant work and facial aesthetics. After work, I then go to the boxing gym. Here I work on technique, bag work, sparring and workouts specific to my boxing.

DB: What is your diet like?

AD: Very strict and clean. Diet is particularly important in a sport such as boxing, as weight classifications must be adhered to. My diet consists largely of protein, good sources of carbohydrates, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

My morning meal is often porridge with fresh berries, boiled or poached eggs and a protein shake; my other meals are often grilled chicken/fish with steamed vegetables and a carbohydrate such as plain rice, sweet potato or brown pasta.

DB: How do your diet and training get altered when coming up to a fight?

AD: The preparation is worked out working backward from your fight date. It’s important that you are hitting peak condition on fight night. You must train hard, but you also must train smart. The last week before the fight is about keeping sharp, but you should be aiming to taper down training, reduce your output and just maintain weight.

DB: Would you replace your opponent’s teeth, if needed?

AD: I have always said that if the unfortunate happened and I caused any damage to my opponent’s teeth that I would always be happy to remedy that, free of charge.

DB: Do your patients know about the other side of your life?

AD: I always aim to keep things as professional as possible and keep my boxing and dental lives as separate as possible. These days though, with the internet, Google and social media, patients often become aware of my boxing career and come back and mention it. I think most of them quite like it; it shows dentists too are human.

Patients are often very scared and nervous when visiting the dentist, and when they realise that we are normal people with lives outside dentistry, it can help them relax. It can be useful to help build rapport and conversations with patients and it can help put them at ease. I have patients who still travel from London to see me in Manchester.

DB: I take it you don’t have any issues with patients not paying the bill?

AD: No issues there.

DB: Are you aware of any other boxing dentists?

AD: Not really. I think there are a lot of dentists who enjoy boxing for fitness, hitting the bag now and again. But I’m not aware of any who compete in boxing.

DB: How about your family life?

AD: I have an amazing family. I have two beautiful girls—Grace, 3½ years old and Jemima, who is only 4 months. They keep me on my toes but are an absolute blessing.

My wife is also a dentist and she is incredibly supportive of everything I do. She helps greatly with my preparation, organisation and nutrition. I can’t stress how important it is to have good people around you.

DB: You’re obviously incredibly busy, dentistry, boxing and a family. Do you have any tips for our readers on how to manage a busy life?

AD: We’re all busy. I think the most important lesson I could share is the importance of making time. It is so important to set a schedule and stick to it. There is a huge difference between ‘making time’ and ‘finding time’.

‘Finding time’ doesn’t work; it just won’t happen. You must commit to making sure you make time for things and have the discipline to stick to your plan. I think it’s incredibly important for people to make time for the things that matter most to them. Particularly people like dentists, who are working in a highly stressful occupation, need to set time out to pursue hobbies and other passions outside of dentistry.

DB: 2017 was a good year for you, winning your last two fights by knockout. What are the main lessons you’ve taken from them?

AD: My last two fights have been in the Czech Republic; I’ve been out there a few times with my good friend and British boxing legend, Danny Williams. This year I have worked closely with Williams and also my trainer, Eddie Mustafa Muhammed, whom I’ve trained with since 2012.

Eddie is in the hall of fame and works with Floyd Mayweather’s Money Team at The Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas. I’ve been lucky to get advice from people who have been there and done it.

One of the mistakes I’ve been making previously is that I’ve been going for the stoppage early and wanting it a little too much. They’ve encouraged me to calm things down and focus on my boxing, working with my strengths such as my height, reach and speed, and encouraging me to be more patient and look for openings. In my last two fights I have done this, and when stoppages have presented I’ve taken them in a smart way. Boxing is very much about the mental side and tactics as well as the physical.

DB: What are your plans for 2018?

AD: I have some big things planned. There are some talks at the moment about my U.S. debut and Amir is also looking to fight in April in the UK, for which I am scheduled to be on the undercard.

I’m also planning to have my first title fight. I will also be continuing with my dentistry, working towards my master’s in implantology with Tipton Training and Straumann as well as caring for my patients at Westpoint Dental Care.

DB: Finally, you’ve touched on a few people who have helped you out. Is there anyone you would like to close this off by thanking?

AD: Absolutely. Although once Fight Night comes it’s just you and your opponent in the ring, there are so many people who are in my corner and behind my preparation.

I have so many people to thank: my strength and conditioning team; my boxing team, including my trainer, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad; my physiotherapist, Nasser; and those involved with my diet and nutrition. I also need to thank the people who help in the managerial and promotions, they organise the fights and continue to give me great opportunities.

My accountants, Ark Aurora, do a great job of managing my finance and accounts. Thank you also to everyone who supports me—it means so much. I would particularly like to thank those in the dental profession who always support and wish me well. All the support is very much appreciated.