Shittu 'Robbed' at Commonwealths Sparks AI Judge Debate
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Dimeji Shittu (England, 24) settled for silver at the Commonwealth Games after a controversial final loss to India's Ankush Panghal, with Shittu docked a point in both the second and third rounds for dipping his head low.
- Former champion Richie Woodhall called the result "shocking, terrible, totally robbed" on TNT Sports, arguing the referee had "stripped" Shittu of gold; remarkably, four of five judges still scored the final round for Ankush, meaning Shittu would have lost even without the deductions.
- Delicious Orie, England's 2022 Commonwealth superheavyweight champion, suggested introducing AI into boxing judging, telling TNT Sports: "If I knew there was a specific set of scoring then yeah, bring AI."
- World Boxing, under president Gennadiy Golovkin, has made moves to investigate AI judging in amateur bouts, though "nothing is imminent"; AI was used behind the scenes in the 2024 Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk bout.
- Shittu declined to blame officials, telling BBC Sport: "Those are the rules. We live and we learn... if I'm sitting here blaming judges, blaming refs, I'm not going to get better."
Why it matters: Shittu's loss — which four of five judges still scored against him even without the point deductions — hands World Boxing, under president Gennadiy Golovkin, concrete evidence to advance its inquiry into AI judging, though traditionalists may resist removing the subjectivity long considered part of the sport.
