Ugandan boxer Aziz Abdul, the 25-year-old grandson of former dictator Idi Amin, was disqualified from the Commonwealth Games 2026 after appearing to headbutt his English opponent, Damar Thomas. The incident occurred in the third round of their 90+kg quarter-final bout at Glasgow. This means that Abdul missed out on a guaranteed medal spot.
A victory would have secured Uganda’s first boxing medal at the Commonwealth Games since Auckland 1990. Instead, Abdul’s tournament concluded with an automatic stoppage.
Aziz Abdul Accuses Jury Of Racism
Following the disqualification, Aziz Abdul criticized the jury of racism and alleged that the officiating was biased because of his skin color and because his opponent represented the home nation.
“When you watch the previous fights of England, their boxers create a lot of fouls. I land a heavy punch on him, but they never count. Instead of counting, they deduct me. I am black African. He is in his homeland,” Abdul stated.
Aziz Abdul claimed that the headbutt was unintentional, stating he was trying to recover after Thomas allegedly caught him with an elbow. He also acknowledged entering the final round with a sense of desperation.
“He was the person they wanted to win. He was the winner before. I knew if I didn’t get a knockout, I could not win the fight,” he said.
The “King of Scotland” Legacy
Aziz Abdul’s presence in Glasgow had generated significant media attention due to his family history. His grandfather, Idi Amin, took power in Uganda following a 1971 coup, leading a regime responsible for an estimated half a million deaths. Amin harbored a well-documented fascination with Scotland, famously declaring himself the “King of Scotland.”
Leading up to the tournament, Aziz Abdul leaned into his tainted family history, telling reporters he had hoped to become the “new King of Scotland.”
When pressed by the media on his grandfather’s legacy, often referred to as the “Butcher of Uganda”, Abdul remained ambiguous. He noted that people hold both positive and negative views of Amin, stating it was “not good to say something negative about someone who is not there.”
With Aziz Abdul’s exit, Damar Thomas advances to the semifinals of the super-heavyweight division in the Commonwealth Games 2026.
