This Man Could Be A Boxers' Best Friend

The testimonials on the man's blog are, I think, stunning.

A whole bunch of athletes, including three well known boxers, face a camera, and testify to the healing powers of a New Jersey-based chiropractor, named David Levine.

Zab Judah, a few days before his Dec. 7, 2013 fight against Paul Malignaggi at Barclays Center, complained of knuckle pain on his right hand, and spasms in his neck. He saw Levine, who worked on his for about 45 minutes, and the pain lifted. Judah declares Levine (on left, above, with Judah) a “miracle man,” and a possessor of “miracle hands,” calling his session “mind blowing.”

I was alerted to Levine, who notables, including not just boxers, but ex NFL and NBAers, as well as military personnel, swear by. And, to be honest, I approached the subject with a high degree of skepticism. Hey, I'm a journalist, so I sift through piles of BS for a living, and furthermore, you and I both know that every other Tom, Dick and Harry is out there hustling, looking to make a buck, and many of them don't let the truth get in the way of the narrative they wish to present to help them sell themselves or their product or their services. But, when I checked out NBA all-star Rick Barry, well known for not being afraid to voice dismay or displeasure, talking up Levine's bonafides, my guard dropped a bit.

I got Levine, who happens to be a featured guest tomorrow (Tuesday, Feb. 18) at Ring 8, the NY veteran boxers association which does loads of good work, on the phone a few days ago, to learn a bit more about his talents. I figured it might be helpful to pass the info along, especially since he apparently is willing to donate his services to those in need, who haven't been able to quell pain through “regular” means, meaning surgery, or rehab, or medication.

Levine told me that he focuses on “pain management treatment,” and has found a method to diminish conditions, like muscle spasms, and restriction of motion, which result in pain. He uses a manual technique, he said. I was curious about how he came to master these techniques. He said that his dad, also a chiropractor, who he termed his best friend, was diagnosed about six years ago with stage four pancreatic cancer.

“When he got the diagnosis, I was devastated,” Levine told me. “I called doctors all over the country, pain management people, oncologists, and they said the only real way to treat his pain was through narcotics.” Levine's father had pain in his abdomen, and the son developed his techniques to try and alleviate his dad's discomfort. “This is a story of a son who was devastated by his fathers' condition,” the son said. “A story of love, and tragedy, to triumph. Out of this really horrific situation– he died in a hospice and I slept 14 days beside him– this came about. As as a result of my intense love for my dad the silver lining is a new, potentially revolutionary pain management method. Really, my life and career are a tribute to my dad, Dr. Robert Levine.”

I noted that the way people on his blog talk about the Levine method, it seems like his ways are radical. “The feedback I'm getting is that people haven't seen it in this country,” he said.

Levine, during the course of our chat, seemed to be wary of dispensing too much hype about his work. He kept referring me to the blog, and the words of people he has treated. For the record, I have not been treated by him; but you can hear from ex heavyweight champion Leon Spinks, through his wife, and ex junior welter champ Johnny Bumphus, who attest on tape to Levine's skills. Levine told me he only recently has started seeing fighters, and he told me he thinks they “deserve to be pain free.” He also donates his work to vets, who he says are too often prescribed narcotics, which can of course be troublingly addictive.

Levine told me he'd appreciate the opportunity to see if his methods could provide comfort and aid in the rehabilitation of the fallen heavyweight Magomed Abdusalamov, who had brain surgery following his Nov. 2, 2013 loss to Mike Perez in NYC.

“I treat pain anywhere in the body,” he said in closing. “I can take a guy going into a fight with pain, and enable him to fight pain free.”

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