Success stories and tales of hardship are part of sport. The most extraordinary story at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games involved neither. Instead, it involved a headbutt, an angry tirade and a surname that still divides a nation.
In the quarterfinal of men’s 90+ kg boxing, Ugandan boxer Aziz Abdul was disqualified for headbutting his opponent, England’s Damar Thomas. As if Zinedine Zidane had descended at the SEC Centre.
Then came the outburst.
“I’m a black African, I know. It’s God’s plan,” Aziz declared. Then alleged, “There was a lot of b******t. Holding, elbowing. When other countries do this, they are disqualified. They decided the winner before the fight.”
When a Press Association reporter attempted a question, Aziz cut him off.
“Not you. I don’t like you.”
His explanation was startling: the journalist had written unfavourably about his grandfather.
The report in question stated his grandfather had killed half a million people. The grandfather being Idi Amin: A former Ugandan dictator in the 1970s.
Coach in film on Amin
Samuel Kabugo’s dreams were modest in 2005. Winning a boxing competition, for instance. That he would feature in a Hollywood film, sharing screen with Forest Whitaker, was beyond his wildest imagination. Until director Kevin Macdonald arrived in Uganda.
While filming The Last King of Scotland, based on Amin’s life, Macdonald needed real boxers to recreate the former president’s years in the ring. Kabugo became one of them.
Two decades later, the past returned.
Now head coach of Uganda’s boxing team and owner of Kololo Boxing Club, Kabugo met a towering teenager brought in by his elder brother Habib.
“Before boxing, Aziz had been doing martial arts and taekwondo. His elder brother Habib brought him to me and said, ‘Coach, my younger brother wants to try boxing. He’s a big, powerful boy.’ He joined around June 2023. I didn’t know about his family background when Aziz joined me. One day, Habib told me, ‘Coach, do you know about our family? We are the grandsons of Idi Amin.’ I was shocked,” Kabugo tells The Indian Express from Uganda.
In Glasgow, Aziz surprised many by declaring himself proud of his grandfather. He later clarified that his admiration stemmed not from Amin’s presidential rule, but from his boxing achievements.
“Idi Amin is one of the reasons why Aziz switched to boxing. He was inspired by his grandfather. Aziz is proud of his lineage. He didn’t choose his family or the history attached to it, but he doesn’t run away from it either,” says Kabugo.
After disqualification, Aziz alleged the judges could not stand a black African beating a European. Decades ago, Amin had voiced similar feelings.
“Several of Aziz’s victories have come by knockouts. He loves nothing more than knocking his opponents out. There is an interesting story behind this. When Ugandan boxers complained about unfair judging at international tournaments, Amin told them, ‘Don’t leave it to the judges. Knock your opponents out.; In a way, Aziz is following that path,” Kabugo said.
Aziz’s Commonwealth Games debut was not remarkable, but his journey has been.
“Aziz is an exceptionally quick learner. It took him just four months to get into the National Championships, and only one year to win the National Boxing League. With only three years of training, he is at the Commonwealth Games,” his coach said.
Yet, having publicly voiced his desire to be the new ‘King of Scotland’ before the fight, as his grandfather once did, a disqualification for headbutting is rather unceremonious.
“ Aziz has always been incredibly confident. He has the heart of a lion. He never backs down from anyone and never walks into a fight intimidated by an opponent. He also likes to speak his heart out. On most occasions, he backs his words with his punches. But at times, it goes awry,” Kabugo said.
On Wednesday, it most certainly did.
More than a dictator’s grandson
Uganda has taken a 55-strong contingent to Glasgow, but their media officer has been inundated with interview requests for only one. Aziz.
“Once the media found out, it became impossible to separate Aziz from that identity. In Uganda, Idi Amin remains one of the most talked-about figures in history. So whenever someone from his family achieves something, it becomes news.”