Nigeria’s boxing campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow ended in complete disappointment after Blessing Orakwe and Patricia Mbata became the latest casualties, confirming the country’s exit from the competition without a single medal.
Orakwe, Nigeria’s final medal hopeful, suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 split-decision defeat to Australia’s Lekeisha Pergoliti in the women’s 70kg quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The closely contested bout saw the Nigerian claim two of the five judges’ scorecards, but it was not enough to earn a place in the semi-finals and guarantee at least a bronze medal.
Her elimination brought the curtain down on a dismal campaign in which all six Nigerian boxers failed to reach the podium.
Before Orakwe’s exit, Patricia Mbata had also fallen at the quarter-final stage in the women’s 75kg division after narrowly losing her bout, leaving the weight of Nigeria’s medal ambitions solely on Orakwe’s shoulders.
Teenage boxer Ajishola Kadijat was another fighter who came close to progressing, but the women’s 54kg contender bowed out in the Round of 16 after a narrow 3-2 split-decision loss to Wales’ Helen Jones. Despite an impressive performance, she was unable to sway enough judges in her favour.
In the men’s events, David Akintola exited in the Round of 16 after losing on points to his English opponent.
Ayomide Foly Hassan was eliminated in the men’s 70kg preliminary round following a 4-0 unanimous decision defeat to Lesotho’s Refiloe Thai, while Abdulramon Abdulwahab became one of Nigeria’s earliest casualties after suffering a comprehensive 5-0 loss to Uganda’s Nuhu Batte in the men’s 65kg contest.
The outcome represents one of Nigeria’s most disappointing boxing outings at the Commonwealth Games in recent memory.
Despite spirited performances from Orakwe, Mbata and Kadijat, none of the team’s six representatives managed to convert their promising displays into medal-winning victories.
The campaign is likely to trigger renewed scrutiny of amateur boxing in Nigeria, with questions expected over athlete preparation, grassroots development, funding, coaching standards and international exposure.
With boxing now concluded for Team Nigeria, attention will shift towards rebuilding the programme ahead of future continental championships, Olympic qualification events and the next Commonwealth Games.
