When Ching Johnson first asked Dr. Segal to oversee the fights on behalf of the commission for the 1972 National Golden Gloves tournament in Minneapolis, he did much more than get a doctor for a tournament; he set in-motion the making of one of the top boxing physicians the state has ever known. If you attended a fight card virtually anywhere in the state from the early 1970's through today, chances are that you saw Dr. Segal at ringside, conducting physicals or examining a badly cut eye for the referee. Be it the historic Duane Bobick-Scott LeDoux fights or the Anthony Bonsante-Matt Vanda bout, it was Dr. Segal administering the physicals and monitoring the injuries. In fact, Dr. Segal's medical presence and expertise have been so reliable in Minnesota boxing, that not seeing him ringside is almost an abnormality.

Born in Minneapolis in 1936, Dr. Segal's boxing background began in the Golden Gloves at the infamous Potts Gym on Hennepin Avenue where he competed as a teenager. His love affair with the sport never left him. He later became a top surgeon in the Twin Cities and practiced at North Memorial and Mt. Sinai hospitals before that now famous call from Ching Johnson came in 1972. The Minnesota boxing community is glad it did, for under the watchful eye of Dr. Segal, he has the proud distinction of never having worked a fight that resulted in a serious injury. Dr. Segal has also testified on behalf of the sport both at the state capital, as well as on a PBS debate in 1983 against an anti-boxing advocate. He also holds the distinction as being the longest-serving chief boxing physician in state history. As one of the behind the scenes heroes of the sport, he now will be recognized for his past, present, and future efforts to keep our boxers and our sport, safe.