Idi Amin's boxer grandson determined to become new King of Scotland

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- Aziz Abdul, a 25-year-old super-heavyweight boxer, faces England's Damar Thomas in the 90+kg quarter-finals on Wednesday at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
- A victory would guarantee at least bronze and make Abdul Uganda's first Commonwealth boxing medallist since Auckland in 1990, ending a 35-year drought
- Idi Amin, Abdul's grandfather and Uganda's third president, declared himself "King of Scotland" in 1976 after serving in the King's African Rifles, wearing kilts and playing bagpipes at the height of his regime
- Amin held the Ugandan light-heavyweight boxing title for nine years from 1951, and reportedly decreed a rematch after losing one bout, delivering a staged knockout in a suit and tie
- Abdul, nicknamed Ringo, said he was "inspired" by Amin but declined to say if he was proud of him, telling BBC Sport Scotland: "I might be the new King of Scotland. It's possible"
- Amin's regime is estimated to have killed half a million people and expelled Uganda's entire Asian population; he married six times, fathered around 60 acknowledged children, and died in Saudi Arabia in 2003 without facing trial
Why it matters: Abdul's potential medal would end a 35-year Commonwealth boxing medal drought for Uganda. The Glasgow venue carries symbolic weight — it was Amin who once self-declared "King of Scotland," and his grandson is now fighting for gold in that same city, with a victory offering Uganda a rare positive sporting narrative tied to a notorious family name.



