Ugandan boxer Aziz Abdul, a grandson of the late Idi Amin, said racism was behind his disqualification at the Commonwealth Games.
The 25-year-old Abdul was disqualified from the Commonwealth Games after head-butting his opponent in his quarter final bout on Wednesday.
Abdul accused the judges of being biased and that they were against him because he is a black African.
“I land a heavy punch on him, they never count. Instead of counting they deduct me. I am black African. He is in his homeland,” said Abdul, recalling that England boxers created a lot of fouls in the previous fights.
Abdul was ruled to have headbutted England boxer Damar Thomas as the pair grappled during the third round of their fight.
Commonwealth Sport president Donald Rukare, who is also from Uganda, said: “We at Commonwealth Sport believe every athlete is treated fairly and in a non-discriminatory manner.
“We are inclusive. That is a field-of-play decision and that is something that was said in the heat of the moment. As far as we’re concerned, we have a good relationship with World Boxing, and the athletes are treated fairly,” Rukare said.
The dramatic contest at the Scottish Exhibition Centre saw Abdul, noticeably shorter than his English opponent, receive a standing count in the first round. He was then penalised in the second for punching out of a clinch before the decisive headbutt on Thomas’s chin led to his disqualification in the third.
Abdul had drawn considerable attention prior to the competition due to his lineage as the grandson of Idi Amin, who is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths or deportation of up to half a million Ugandans during his eight-year rule.
World Boxing, the federation provisionally recognised by the International Olympic Committee in February 2025 and responsible for organising the Glasgow competition, declined to comment on the incident.
MG/as/APA