GLASGOW — Aziz Abdul has lived his entire life under the shadow of a grandfather he never met.
Now, inside a boxing ring in Glasgow, the 25-year-old Ugandan super-heavyweight is fighting to build a name of his own — one defined not by military power or political controversy, but by sporting achievement.
Abdul, popularly known by his boxing nickname “Ringo”, is representing Uganda at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where victory over England’s Damar Thomas in Wednesday’s 90kg-plus quarter-final would guarantee him at least a bronze medal.
It would also make him Uganda’s first Commonwealth Games boxing medallist since the 1990 Games in Auckland, New Zealand.
But Abdul’s story has attracted attention beyond his punching power.
He is a grandson of former Ugandan president Idi Amin, the military ruler who seized power in a 1971 coup and governed Uganda until he was overthrown in 1979.
Amin’s rule remains one of the most controversial chapters in Uganda’s history, associated with widespread killings, imprisonment, torture and the expulsion of thousands of Asians from the country.
Abdul was still a young child when Amin died in exile in Saudi Arabia in 2003 and says he never had an opportunity to know him personally.
Yet, wherever the young boxer travels, the Amin name often arrives before him.
Speaking to BBC Sport Scotland, Abdul appeared cautious about discussing his grandfather’s political legacy, acknowledging that people continue to hold sharply different views about the former Ugandan leader.
“Some people say positive things about him, but others say negative things,” Abdul said, explaining why he prefers not to speak extensively about a period that unfolded long before he was born.
For Abdul, the Glasgow Games offer a chance to shift attention towards his own journey.
A Historic Glasgow Connection
The setting of Abdul’s Commonwealth medal campaign carries unusual historical significance.
Idi Amin developed a fascination with Scotland after serving in the British colonial-era King’s African Rifles. During his presidency, he was occasionally seen wearing kilts and associated himself with Scottish culture.
In 1976, Amin reportedly proclaimed himself the “King of Scotland”, a title that later inspired the name of the award-winning film The Last King of Scotland.
Decades later, his grandson has arrived in Glasgow speaking of winning a different crown — one earned through discipline, sporting talent and national representation.
“I might be the new King of Scotland,” Abdul joked when asked what winning gold in Glasgow would mean to him.
The boxer said he immediately displayed the Ugandan flag after arriving in Scotland, expressing his affection for the host nation while remaining focused on representing Uganda.
The comparison is striking.
While his grandfather’s claim to Scottish royalty was rooted in theatrical political symbolism, Abdul’s ambitions are being tested under the bright lights of a boxing arena, where medals must be earned punch by punch.
Fighting for His Own Identity
Abdul has made it clear that he wants the public to recognise him as Ringo the boxer, rather than simply as Idi Amin’s grandson.
His life in Kampala has largely been removed from the centres of political power associated with his family name. Through boxing, he hopes to create a positive story for himself and Uganda.
“I want to do something for my country,” Abdul said. “I want my country to recognise me and the world to recognise me.”
Around his neck in Glasgow is a gold chain. By the end of the Games, he hopes it will be joined — or replaced — by a Commonwealth gold medal.
The Ugandan believes his trademark “Ringo punch” will be enough to overcome his opponents and carry him to the top of the podium.
He has approached the competition with confidence, predicting that Uganda’s first medal of the Games would come through his quarter-final fight.
“There is no excuse,” he said. “I came here to go back with a gold medal.”
Boxing Runs in the Family
Although Idi Amin is remembered internationally for his political rule, he also had a significant background in boxing.
Before entering Uganda’s highest political office, Amin competed as a heavyweight and light-heavyweight boxer and held the Ugandan light-heavyweight championship for several years during the 1950s.
That sporting history has inevitably become part of Abdul’s own boxing story.
In previous interviews, Abdul has said he drew inspiration from his grandfather, although he has avoided directly connecting that admiration to Amin’s political career.
For the younger fighter, boxing provides a way of separating sporting inheritance from historical controversy.
His performances in Glasgow will not alter the past, but they could determine how Abdul himself is remembered in the future.
A medal would place him in Uganda’s Commonwealth Games history. Gold would transform him from an athlete known largely because of his family lineage into a national sporting champion.
Uganda’s Medal Hopes Rest on Ringo
Uganda has a proud Commonwealth boxing tradition, but the country has endured a long wait for another medal in the sport.
Abdul now stands one victory away from ending that drought.
His quarter-final against England’s Damar Thomas is therefore more than an individual contest. It is an opportunity to revive Uganda’s boxing reputation and provide the country with a new sporting figure.
For Abdul, it is also deeply personal.
He cannot choose the family into which he was born or erase the controversies attached to the Amin name. What he can control is what happens when the bell rings.
In Glasgow, the grandson of a man who once called himself the King of Scotland is attempting to claim recognition through an entirely different route.
Not through a declaration.
Not through political power.
But through victory in the ring.
