I find it hilarious how anyone can justify that any impact taken to the head is safe LOL, it is not, never will be, and it is exactly like drugs, it can be one pill or 100 pills that kill you... you just never know. It's risky, always will be.
I'm not sure "How to make boxing more safe" is the right question. Because a sport (and professional boxing is not even only a sport, but, let's say a modern day gladiator show, as well) where two opponents come into the ring with an intention to hurt each other, can be safe (and entertaining at the same time). I think the right question should be how to decrease the amount of deaths and severe disabilities (like after coma vegetative state).
Easy headgear 16oz gloves. 10 round max No liver shots. Maybe a catscan at rd5. Boring sport would die safely
The single best step would be to tackle the entire business of making weight and stopping this cycle of fighters dehydrating themselves to make a weight limit. Yes, there would have to be some steps taken to ensure proper hydration. There do appear to be some tests available: https://www.scienceforsport.com/hydration-testing/ Maybe there needs to be a weigh in at 30 days, 10, 3,1 and on the night itself? So the fighters are truly naturally at or around that weight and not trying to play the system. There's no way to make the sport completely safe without banning it completely, but the making weight aspect should be tackled.
Boxing is and always will be a dangerous sport. Any sport that incorporates being hit by someone/something is. However, having same day weight ins and stricter drug testing would help a lot.
How many people will get brain damage fighting in bare-knuckle boxing? I think close to zero. Professional boxing should learn from that.
I don't want to sound cold, but I don't think it needs to be safer. Boxers know the risks when they get in the ring.
Until someone catches a knuckle on the temple and dies. The temple bone is very thin and contains the middle meningeal artery, and lots of other blood vessels that lead to the brain, that if ruptured will cause a subdural hematoma. It's only a matter of time.
Ok, maybe. So, we need to find the right balance between the current professional boxing gloves and no gloves at all.
I talked about this last night and threw around a few answers on my podcast. You could use smaller gloves; go back to same day weigh-ins; increase the medical training for refs, trainers, etc.; have tough drug testing; make body punching an increased aspect of amateur boxing (and professional); and cut down on wars in sparring. Much of the punishment a guy takes is in the gym.
Weight passports is also something that is slowly being looked into. You apply for a license. They weigh you. Hydration check. Find a range of weight classes you can compete at. And of course bone mass, muscle mass and body fat could be measured as well.
In boxing and MMA, I much prefer an early stoppage to protect the fighters to letting things go on. It's humane, and it makes sense. As much as I love and respect the warrior types who prefer to go out on their shield, the referee and the trainers should likely be saving them from themselves at times. It's a tough job absolutely made tougher for fans who jeer referees for early stoppages and condemn fighters for "quitting." Maybe that's one thing that we observers can help change, but in a charged up, inebriated environment, such subtleties generally go out the window.
You would think there is a device that could measure vitals on boxers by doctors at ringside rather than just look into his eyes and ask him a few questions.