Aborode looks to follow Docherty path to Games

Rising Aberdeen boxer Fawaz Aborode is targeting the 2026 Commonwealth Games after securing the Boxing Scotland Elite Golden Gloves title.

The 20-year-old won the prestigious title at lightweight with a unanimous decision victory in Motherwell over Saul Sztor of Lochend.

Byron Boxing Club fighter Aborode was also awarded the Richard Thomas Memorial Trophy for best boxer of the tournament.

Having claimed national elite title glory, the highly rated ring star aims to secure selection for the next Commonwealth Games.

The 2026 Games will be held across four regional sites in the Australian state of Victoria: Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland.

Aborode wants to follow in the footsteps of former Byron Boxing Club star John Docherty, who won bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

He said: “I will hopefully get selected for Scotland for future internationals.

“I want to go to the Commonwealth Games and will ideally get picked for the next one.

“John Docherty went to the Commonwealth Games.

“I have looked up to John since I was young and watched him train at Byron.”

Another inspiration for Aborode is former four-belt heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.

Watching footage of Joshua in action was the spark that began Aborode’s boxing career.

He said: “I have been boxing for six years now.

“I watched a video on YouTube of Anthony Joshua and that made me want to give it a shot. It was also to get me fit for football.

“However I ended up loving boxing more than football and stuck with boxing.

“I’ve never met Anthony Joshua but it would be a dream to meet him.”

Highly-rated Aborode won bronze on international duty with Scotland last year at the GB Elite Three Nations championships in Cardiff.

In 2021 he fought at the prestigious AIBA World Boxing Championships in Serbia, the biggest boxing event outside the Olympics.

Aborode secured a spot at the World Championships in 2021 following a rigorous selection process, which included time at the Team GB training camp in Sheffield.

The Boxing Scotland Elite Golden Gloves title is the latest progression in a career trajectory that could see Aborode compete at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

He said: “It feels amazing to win the Scottish elite title because I worked so hard for it with my coaches.

“I was confident going into the tournament but knew I still had to do a job.

“In the final I thought I won every round.

“The first and second rounds I won clearly and then in the last round I changed my style a little to work on the inside.”

Byron Boxing Club secured two titles at the Boxing Scotland Elite Golden Gloves tournament, with Ross McAllister also triumphing at light-middleweight.

McAllister defeated Myles McGhee of Lochee by unanimous decision.

It continued a successful season for Byron Boxing as the club also won five titles at the Golden Gloves Junior and Schools Championships.

Following the Elite Golden Gloves title glory Aborode was awarded the Richard Thomas Memorial Trophy for best boxer of the tournament.

He said: “I was very happy to get that award.

“They announced that at the end of the tournament after all the bouts had finished.

“It felt amazing to get that award as my family and coaches were there to support me.”

“I have looked up to John since I was young

VICTORIOUS: Aberdeen 20-year-old Fawaz Aborode has his arms aloft after seeing off Lochend boxer Saul Sztor in Motherwell to take the lightweight title.