Nigeria’s boxing campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow ended in disappointment after the country’s last medal hope, Blessing Orakwe, bowed out in the women’s 70kg quarter-finals on Wednesday.
Orakwe suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 split-decision defeat to Australia’s Lekeisha Pergoliti after a closely contested bout in which she won two of the five judges’ scorecards.
The narrow loss brought Nigeria’s participation in the boxing event to an end, with all six boxers eliminated without securing a single medal.
It marks one of Nigeria’s poorest boxing performances at the Commonwealth Games in recent years, despite several fighters producing spirited displays.
Blessing Orakwe (Women’s 70kg)
Orakwe carried Nigeria’s final medal hopes into the quarter-finals but fell agonisingly short against Australia’s Lekeisha Pergoliti. A victory would have guaranteed at least a bronze medal, but the Australian edged the contest by split decision to advance to the semi-finals.
Patricia Mbata (Women’s 75kg)
Patricia Mbata also came within touching distance of the medal rounds but was narrowly beaten in her quarter-final contest.
Her elimination shifted Nigeria’s hopes entirely onto Orakwe.
Ajishola Kadijat (Women’s 54kg)
One of Nigeria’s brightest prospects, Ajishola Kadijat exited in the Round of 16 after a closely fought 3-2 split-decision loss to Wales’ Helen Jones.
The teenager impressed with her resilience but could not convince enough judges to earn victory.
David Akintola (Men’s 55kg)
David Akintola was unable to progress beyond the Round of 16 after suffering a points defeat to his English opponent, adding to Nigeria’s growing list of casualties in the boxing ring.
Ayomide Foly Hassan (Men’s 70kg)
Ayomide Foly Hassan’s campaign ended in the preliminary round following a 4-0 unanimous decision defeat to Lesotho’s Refiloe Thai.
He struggled to find his rhythm against the experienced opponent.
Abdulramon Abdulwahab (Men’s 65kg)
Abdulramon Abdulwahab was comprehensively beaten 5-0 on points by Uganda’s Nuhu Batte in the opening round, becoming one of Nigeria’s earliest exits in the competition.
Tough Questions for Nigerian Boxing
Nigeria entered Glasgow with hopes of challenging for medals, but the boxing team leaves Scotland empty-handed after six defeats from six athletes.
Although Orakwe, Mbata and Kadijat all pushed their opponents in closely contested bouts, the inability to convert those performances into victories exposed the gap between Nigeria and some of the Commonwealth’s top boxing nations.
The disappointing campaign is expected to spark fresh discussions about the state of amateur boxing in Nigeria, including athlete development, quality of preparation, funding and exposure to elite international competition.
With the Glasgow 2026 campaign now over, attention will turn to rebuilding the national boxing programme ahead of future continental championships and qualification events for major international competitions.
