When comparing short and long term injuries sustained in different sports, the conclusion reached is dependent on what factors are taken into account.
There is overwhelming evidence that repeated impacts to the head causes long term damage to the brain, which can go undetected for years. In fact, Dementia pugilistica, commonly referred to as punch-drunk syndrome, occurs in people who have suffered multiple concussions, particularly in boxers, hence the name, and it commonly manifests itself as dementia - or declining mental ability - along with problems with memory, and Parkinsonism, which is characterized by a lack of coordination.
Boxers who suffer from this condition will commonly experience tremors, slowed movement, speech problems and confusion. Dementia pugilistica frequently goes undiagnosed, due to the fact that in most cases it won't begin to cause symptoms for many years or even decades.
Moreover, hands are not built to stand up to the beatings they take during a career of boxing. It is common for retired boxers to develop symptoms of osteoarthritis in their hands, which is severe in many cases.
Of course, like boxing there is a huge risk of severe injury in motorcycle racing, but there is a fundamental difference - the aim of racing is to stay on the bike and try to win the race. In contrast, the aim in boxing is to beat your opponent by hitting him as hard as you can, preferably by knocking him out or by a stoppage due to injury.
If boxing is not about hurting your opponent, why do managers/promoters study videos of opponents’ fights to look for weak areas to concentrate on hitting? And when an opponent is cut or injured during a fight, you can often hear the corner man telling the fighter to keep hitting him in the damaged area. IMO it is ridiculous to pretend that you can try to knock someone out without intending to hurt them. A bit long winded, but that is basically my point.
