Before the super-heavyweight bout, Abdul told the BBC he wanted to become the new 'King of Scotland' - in reference to Amin giving himself that name in 1976. After taking power in a coup in 1971, Amin ran a brutal regime during which an estimated half a million people were killed. Thomas, who is now guaranteed at least a bronze medal, said it was "not the way" he wanted to win. Some years later, those predilections even spawned an Oscar-winning film, The Last King of Scotland, starring Forest Whitaker and James McAvoy. In a previous interview, Abdul said he was "inspired" by Amin, although it was not entirely clear whether he was talking about his boxing feats or not.