Qize Yang, Sandra Rozenstoka,Maher Zahar, Yannis P Pitsiladis

In professional boxing, a split-second decision can define a career and a single punch can alter a life. Consequently, the sport continues to face criticism for subjective judging, the high incidence of traumatic brain injury and training practices that still rely heavily on intuition rather than data. Head impacts are the core of boxing. While many other sports seek to reduce collisions, boxing must confront how to manage the inevitable damage associated with its defining action. Yet, the current approach to managing this impact remains basic, relying largely on visual cues and post hoc symptoms. In the wake of the two recent boxer deaths in Japan, measures such as enhanced on-site ambulance provision and post-weigh-in urine tests, although important, do not address the fundamental physical source of boxing’s danger: the direct impact force to the head.1 2 As digital technologies advance rapidly in other sports, boxing can no longer justify its slow adoption. Accordingly, the aim of this editorial is to examine
how emerging technologies, including wearable sensors, artificial intelligence (AI) and omics approaches, may be applied to boxing to improve safety, enhance objectivity and support evidence-based athlete management.