“Doctor Mike” Varshavski didn’t need professional boxing. He had plenty on his plate.
He’s a successful family physician in Summit, New Jersey. And he became (and remains) an internet sensation in the mid-2010s, when People Magazine named him The Sexiest Doctor Alive. More than 10 million subscribe to his medical-themed YouTube channel, on which he promotes a healthy lifestyle.
Boxing? That was a happy accident, one that has provided him with yet another platform to spread his gospel and gain experience he believes makes him a better doctor.
Varshavski, who makes his pro debut against Chris Avila in a four-rounder on the Jake Paul-Anderson Silva pay-per-view card Saturday in Glendale, Arizona, was in a dark place during his first year of medical school in New York more than a decade ago.
His father, a medical doctor in Russia, had moved his family to the United States when Mikhail was 6 years old. However, he had to return to medical school in his adopted country to practice here. His mother, a mathematics professor, swept floors to help make ends meet while her husband earned his degree.
Finally, with their lives back on track and their bright son on his way to following in his father’s footsteps, Varshavski’s mother died of leukemia.
“That was a rough year for my father and I,” Varshavski told Boxing Junkie. “… Now that my father graduated and started his business it was time for them to enjoy the fruits of his labor. But in that year, maybe a year and a half, my father lost him mom, his dad and his wife of 20-plus years.
“It was a really dark time for us as a family. I wasn’t doing much at that time. I wasn’t physical. My mental health was suffering.”
That’s when, out of desperation, he decided to try the boxing-for-fitness craze that continues to this day, meeting his longtime trainer – Thomas Baldwin – in the process.
Varshavski took to the sport and spent years training to stay in shape, even sparring as his skill level improved. However, a full decade into the experience, he still had no intention of fighting competitively.
Then Baldwin pointed something out: YouTubers like Jake and Logan Paul were using their fame as an inroad into big-time boxing. Why not Doctor Mike?
Varshavski, a 6-foot-3 light heavyweight, took part in his one and only amateur bout this past May, outpointing influencer iDubbbz. The doctor’s hobby turned into a passion and then a second career.
“My trainer said, ‘Mike, I think you have a chance to do something great, and I’m willing to go with you on that journey,’” Varshavski said. “… He didn’t just think I could do it. He just thought he believes in my skill so much so that he thinks there’s no one we can’t stop, we can’t beat. And I believe him.
“Thomas is an amazing boxing trainer, coach, friend, brother, all of that. And if he tells me I need to change something, if he thinks I’m ready for something, I put full trust in him.”
An obvious question: Why would a doctor who understands the dangers of boxing – particularly to the brain – be willing to step into the cauldron?
One, Varshavski fell in love with boxing. It’s part of who he is now. And, two, he has and continues to put in the work to learn how to protect himself as much as possible in an inherently risky sport.
As he put it, life is dangerous; the objective is to manage the risk.
“The goal here is to encourage people to live to the top of their potential, to stay active, to take a boxing class, to hit the heavy bag, to be aware of their fitness. And all the benefits they’re going to get from that will be immense,” he said.
“There are risks in everything we do. We just have to be aware of those risks. I discuss with my patients the activities they’re involved in. I tell them the risks, I don’t tell them what to do. I don’t tell them that they need to stop doing something or start doing something.
“I tell them the risks and as cognitive adults they make their decision.”
Varshavski sounded more like a fighter than a doctor at times during the interview for this article. For example, he could’ve been any Top 10-ranked contender talking when he described how well training camp went for his fight with Avila and that he feels he’s at the top of his game.
At the same time, he’s unique. Of course, he wants to succeed in the ring but he doesn’t dream of becoming pound-for-pound king. And he certainly doesn’t need the money. He’s donating his entire purse on Saturday to the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem.
No, Varshavski is one of a kind: a hybrid medical professional and social media star who happens to box. The message he wants to send? You can be or do whatever you want if you pour your heart and soul into it.
“I want to show people that you’re not just a single word in the dictionary,” he said. “I’m not just a boxer, I’m not just a doctor. I’m a human first that is capable of many things. And so are all my viewers, patients and friends.”