After graduating from the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø School of Medicine's (UNR Med) Internal Medicine Residency Program, George Velasco, M.D., built a career that blends primary care, education and ringside medicine. Today, he practices internal medicine in New York City while also serving as a ringside physician for professional boxing and mixed martial arts events.
Although his path is unique, Velasco says the foundation for his career was built during his residency at UNR Med.
"It was a great place to train because we got to train in different settings," Velasco said. "We got to train at the Sierra Nevada Veteran Affairs medical center, Renown Health and in outpatient private practices. Each setting taught something different about patient care, access to medicine and the health care system."
His residency also exposed him to specialties outside the traditional internal medicine curriculum. Rotations in neurology, orthopeadics and sports medicine gave him experience that would later prepare him as a ringside physician.
Velasco credits mentors throughout the program for broadening his education, including sports medicine physician Mark Stovak, M.D., professor of family and community medicine, who introduced him to caring for athletes while rotating with University of Nevada athletics. Velasco also met fellow UNR Med Internal Medicine alumnus Damon Zavala, D.O., a leading physician for the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
"Dr. Zavala became one of my mentors," Velasco said. "He works many of the biggest fights in the world, and learning from him gave me a practical education that complemented my residency training."
Today, both physicians serve on the Board of Directors for the (ARP), with Zavala serving as vice president and Velasco as one of the organization's newest board members.
Velasco's interest in ringside medicine began before medical school. A lifelong boxing fan who previously trained in the sport himself, he experienced firsthand the injuries fighters can get after suffering a concussion and a ruptured eardrum during training. When he entered medical school, he joined the ARP as a student member, attending conferences, participating in research projects and becoming more involved in the field.
Today, Velasco serves as an editor for the “Journal of Combat Sports Medicine” and teaches a ringside medicine elective course to medical students at Mount Sinai, helping prepare the next generation of physicians interested in combat sports medicine.
For Velasco, working ringside is about much more than being present at high-profile fights.
"The biggest thing is a willingness to learn," he said. Quoting Dr. Allan Fields, one of the founding fathers of ringside medicine. "A physician at ringside does not necessarily make a ringside physician."
He explains that ringside physicians receive specialized training to recognize conditions that could endanger a fighter before, during or after a fight. They determine when a fight should be stopped, evaluate injuries immediately after a fight and decide whether athletes require hospitalization or medical suspension before returning to competition.
As someone now helping educate future ringside physicians, Velasco hopes more medical students and residents will explore the specialty while emphasizing the importance of proper training.
"My worst nightmare is someone who's good-intentioned and is asked to work a fight but isn't prepared," he said. "The fighters deserve better." Whether treating patients in the clinic, teaching medical students or sitting just outside the ring on fight night, Velasco says his goal remains the same: providing thoughtful, evidence-based care when patients need it most.
