Local Plastic Surgeon Shapes Up in Boxing Court

Cherry Hill, NJ (WTXF) - A local doctor doesn't always follow his oath to do no harm when he leaves the operating room. He steps into the boxing ring where he puts his livelihood at risk.

FOX 29 photojournalist Bill Rohrer explains why the doc says he has to do it.

Dr. Steven Davis needs energy and a sharp focus to last long hours in the operating room. He is an artist of sorts--sculpting and reshaping the human body with a variety of instruments and by hand.

His hands are his livelihood and they have helped him become one of the most sought after plastic surgeons in the United States.

Any damage to them would be detrimental to his career, so to risk breaking his hands in a sport like boxing may not be a great idea.

"I didn't just want to go to a gym and lift weights or run on a tread mill or something like that," Davis said. "It is a great work out and there is a skill set you are learning."

It's an odd choice but Dr. Davis says Boxing is a perfect way to prepare him for the mental battle in the operating room.

"You can get exhausted in here and you mentally forget things and then you can leave yourself exposed and not really do things to the level you want to do it," Davis said.

Being the only plastic surgeon in a boxing gym does have its advantages.

"A couple of times I've been here, I actually had to set people's noses in that ring over there. What happened is someone got hit and they said doc come over here a second," Davis said.

It's all in a day's work for a man who truly relies on his hands for his livelihood and his piece of mind.