England’s Dimeji Shittu was denied Commonwealth Games gold in deeply contentious circumstances on Saturday evening, falling to India’s Ankush Panghal in the men’s 80kg boxing final in Glasgow.
The 24-year-old dominated the opening round emphatically, even forcing his opponent to take a count. Yet the contest swung dramatically when the referee penalised Shittu with two-point deductions across the second and third rounds — one for holding, another for hitting.
Those penalties proved decisive. The judges ultimately handed the bout to Panghal by a margin of four to one, with four officials awarding the Indian the concluding round.
Shittu was left visibly distraught at the verdict, whilst the Glasgow crowd made their displeasure unmistakable, greeting the announcement with loud boos.
England’s Dimeji Shittu was denied gold at the Commonwealth Games in controversial circumstances
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The reaction from the commentary team was withering. TNT Sports co-commentator Richie Woodhall, himself a former champion, delivered a damning assessment: “Shocking, terrible, totally robbed. He certainly had the referee on his side there and the referee has cost Dimeji Shittu the contest.”
Woodhall was particularly bewildered by the scoring of the final round. “How did [Ankush] win that last round on the judges’ scores? That is absolutely terrible. Shocking decision. Totally robbed and that’s not sour grapes,” he added.
The spectators inside the Glasgow venue shared his indignation, jeering loudly as the result was read out.
It was a verdict that left seasoned boxing observers struggling to comprehend how a fighter who had appeared so dominant could walk away without gold.
Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Delicious Orie was equally scathing, declaring on TNT Sports: “In my opinion, it was a total robbery. I think the referee has stripped that gold medal from Dimeji.”
Orie found the absence of any prior warnings before the deductions particularly inexplicable. A simple verbal caution, he argued, would have sufficed to correct Shittu’s behaviour without costing him the contest.
India’s Ankush Panghal was awarded gold in the men’s 80kg boxing final in Glasgow
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The former champion went further, floating the introduction of artificial intelligence as a means of removing subjectivity from boxing officiation. “If I knew there was a specific set of scoring, then bring AI, because I would follow that scoresheet instead of someone else’s opinion,” he said. “That can be the difference, as we’ve seen here, between a gold and silver medal.”
He drew a comparison with athletics, where times and distances leave no room for dispute.
Shittu himself, however, displayed remarkable composure in the aftermath. Rather than directing frustration at the officials, the 24-year-old shouldered the responsibility entirely.
“A lot of people might say this about the referee, the judging, but at the end of the day I can only blame myself,” he said. “Those are the rules. We live and we learn.”
He acknowledged that the infractions had ultimately been his undoing. “It cost me the fight,” he conceded.
Yet there was no bitterness, only a steely resolve to progress. “If people think I should have got the decision, fair play, I understand. But if I’m sitting here blaming judges, blaming refs, I’m not going to get better,” he added.
It was a response that spoke of a young fighter whose character may yet prove more valuable than any medal.
