I'd say glove up and get your head around the fact that the snake may nip you but with gloves on it won't hurt. You may want to gently drop a small facecloth on his head to distract him, get a firm grip behind his head and down his body and lift him out. A bit of very quiet time in your hands, and when he's calm put him back. Set up an exact handling routine (same days of the week, same time of the evening when he's awake and aware, same hand movements, etc.) and stick to it so he can begin to recognize, in a basic way, that there's nothing to feel defensive about.

When we had a very defensive adult BP I found that my attitude triggered the snake to be even worse. If I was nervous of getting bit or handling her, she'd key up even worse so I had little "talks" with myself first. Being calm myself, sticking to an exact routine, making sure the room was quiet and without a lot of people moving around near her or loud music and just very slowly lengthening the time she was out of her enclosure. Over time it worked and she's perfectly fine these days. It may not work with your snake, some never take to any handling but if it does work it'll take time so be very patient and consistent and see how it goes.