Ugandan boxer Aziz Abdul, the grandson of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, has been disqualified from the Commonwealth Games after an apparent headbutt in his super-heavyweight bout against England's Damar Thomas.
The disqualification means Uganda will not secure a boxing medal, which Abdul had been aiming to be the first for the nation since 1990. Abdul was trailing on all judges' scorecards and had received warnings in previous rounds before the incident.
Abdul expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision, stating that he believed his opponent elbowed him and that the head movement was not intentional. "I knew if I did not get knockout I could not win the fight," Abdul told BBC Sport. He also suggested that the outcome favored his opponent, adding, "He was the person they wanted to win. He was the winner before."
BBC Sport has reached out to Commonwealth Games organizers and World Boxing for comment on Abdul's statements.
Thomas, who is now guaranteed at least a bronze medal, commented that the win was "not the way" he wanted to achieve it but that he could control his performance in the next match.
Abdul, who never met his grandfather, had previously told the BBC that he wanted to become the new "King of Scotland," a reference to Idi Amin's self-declaration in 1976. Idi Amin, who seized power in Uganda in 1971 and ruled a regime where an estimated half a million people were killed, had a fascination with Scotland, donning kilts and playing bagpipes. His actions inspired the Oscar-winning film "The Last King of Scotland."