England’s Dimeji Shittu was defeated by India’s Ankush Panghal in the final at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday, securing the silver medal in a bout marked by contentious judging decisions. The 24-year-old was penalized a point in both the second and third rounds for dipping his head low. Commentary from boxing figures including former champion Richie Woodhall criticized the officiating, with Woodhall stating that Shittu had been “robbed” of the victory.
The contest featured several disputed scorecards. Shittu won the opening round on all five judges’ cards and landed a punch that resulted in a standing count for Panghal. However, the second round saw three judges award the round to Panghal despite Shittu appearing to land more blows. The point deductions that followed proved consequential as the Englishman fell behind on the scorecards. In the final round, four judges again gave the round to Panghal, meaning the penalty deductions were ultimately inconsequential to the outcome.
Shittu declined to focus on the judging controversies after the loss, telling BBC Sport that he could only blame himself and that the penalty for head position constituted a valid foul under amateur boxing rules. Fellow English boxer Delicious Orie, who won the superheavyweight title at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, suggested the incident highlighted a need for artificial intelligence in judging.
The use of AI in boxing judging has become a topic of increasing discussion within the sport. World Boxing, which oversees amateur boxing globally including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, has begun investigating the implementation of such technology. AI was reportedly used behind the scenes during Tyson Fury’s bout with Oleksandr Usyk in 2024. While no immediate changes are planned, there is organizational interest in exploring whether technology could enhance transparency and integrity in the sport, though questions remain about how AI would evaluate subjective elements such as punch power.
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