Ugandan boxer Aziz Abdul, also known by his ring name “Aziz Ringo,” has found himself in the international spotlight after being disqualified during his boxing debut at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for headbutting his opponent, England’s Damar Thomas, in the super-heavyweight quarter-final.
Aziz Abdul is the grandson of former Ugandan military ruler Idi Amin, who ruled Uganda from 1971 until 1979 after seizing power in a military coup.
Idi Amin was also a boxer before joining politics and held Uganda’s light-heavyweight boxing title for several years. Abdul has publicly said he draws inspiration from his grandfather’s boxing career.
The 25-year-old competes in the super-heavyweight (90kg+) division for Uganda.
Before his Commonwealth Games debut, Aziz Abdul emerged as one of Uganda’s top heavyweight boxers after winning the Uganda Boxing Champions League heavyweight (92kg) title.
The Fight That Put Aziz Abdul in the Spotlight
He had expressed confidence that he could win Uganda’s first Commonwealth boxing medal since the 1990 Auckland Games.
“Our first medal will be won tomorrow. No excuse,” he declared. “That’s why I’m here. I have that dream that I’m gonna go back with a gold medal. That’s the reason I’m here in Glasgow right now,” Abdul had said in an interview.
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His first Commonwealth Games outing ended after he was disqualified in the third round of his quarter-final bout against England’s Damar Thomas.
At the time of the stoppage, Thomas was leading 20-16 on the judges’ scorecards. The referee disqualified Abdul after ruling that he had deliberately headbutted his opponent during a clinch, ending Uganda’s hopes of a boxing medal in the event.
After the bout, Abdul rejected the referee’s decision, insisting the headbutt was accidental.
Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, Abdul made headlines after saying he was proud of his grandfather and that Idi Amin had inspired him as a boxer.
Abdul comes from Uganda’s West Nile region, the same part of the country where his grandfather, Idi Amin, was born.
Who Was Idi Amin?
Aziz Abdul is the grandson of Idi Amin Dada, the former Ugandan military ruler who governed the country from 1971 to 1979 after overthrowing President Milton Obote in a military coup.
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Before entering politics, Amin served in the King’s African Rifles (KAR), a regiment of the British colonial army. He later rose through the ranks of the Ugandan military and became commander of the armed forces before seizing power in January 1971 while Obote was attending a Commonwealth conference in Singapore.
Amin was also an accomplished boxer in his younger years. He won Uganda’s light-heavyweight boxing championship and held the national title for several years during the 1950s.
His presidency, however, became notorious for human rights abuses, political repression and economic decline. Human rights groups state that thousands of people were killed during his eight-year rule.
In 1972, Amin ordered the expulsion of about 60,000 Asians, many of whom were Ugandan citizens of Indian descent, giving them 90 days to leave the country
His rule came to an end in 1979 after Ugandan exiles, backed by the Tanzanian military, overthrew his government. Amin fled into exile, first to Libya and later to Saudi Arabia, where he lived until his death on August 16, 2003, at the age of 78.
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