Lekeisha Pergoliti’s dream Commonwealth Games debut delivered the kind of moment every boxer hopes for: a place in the semi-finals. The Australian fighter secured hard-earned victory in the women’s 70kg quarter-final, but the biggest talking point came after the final bell when her Nigerian opponent appeared to snub her handshake. Instead of taking away from the achievement, Pergoliti extolled her opponent and moved on to the next challenge.

The quarter-final was held on July 29th at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, SEC Hall 5. The bout was between Lekeisha Pergoliti and Blessing Orakwe, who were both aiming for medals. Pergoliti entered the tournament after a silver medal at the World Boxing Cup in 2025, bronze in 2026, and a world championship silver medal. However, she faced a serious test against Orakwe, who brought an aggressive and explosive style into the ring.

But in the ending Pergoliti earned a 3-2 split decision victory. After the judges confirmed the result, Pergoliti approached Orakwe for the traditional post-fight handshake. However, Orakwe appeared not to accept the gesture. When asked about the incident, Pergoliti chose not to criticise her opponent. Instead, she kept her response respectful.

“I want to say thank you for the fight. I’m sorry you didn’t want to shake my hand, but this is boxing, and I wish you all the best,” Pergoliti said.

Reflecting on the bout, Pergoliti praised the Nigerian boxer and admitted, “She’s a great opponent, very tough, very tricky, very explosive,” Pergoliti said. “That first round I really had to make the adjustments coming back to my corner. I think I got the right instructions and I was able to make those adjustments, and I think that’s what won me the fight.”

However, with the loss, Orakwe lost her chance of winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games. And in case you were wondering, this wasn’t the first instance of boxers refusing to shake hands at Glasgow 2026.

Scottish Boxer’s frustration after home defeat leads to another handshake moment

The same situation happened after the men’s 80kg light heavyweight clash between Scotland’s Alan Perrie and Paul Trainor of Australia at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow on 25 July 2026. Unfortunately, the battle came to a sad conclusion for home favourite Perrie. Initially, Trainor found himself behind after the opening round, trailing 4-1, but the Australian boxer turned the fight around in the second round.

Trainor landed a strong right hook that caused serious damage, leaving Perrie with cuts on his face and inside his mouth.  After assessing the injury, the referee and medical officials stopped the contest in the second round, handing Trainor the victory. The end of the scoreline made Perrie very disheartened and displeased. Instead of staying in the ring for the traditional post-fight handshake, the Scottish boxer walked away immediately after the decision.

But Trainor didn’t take it personally. He showed understanding for Perrie’s reaction. “I understand. I know it’s months of sacrifice, as I know myself how hard I have prepared for this, so it will be bitter for him,” Trainor said.

“I know he’s a nice kid. We were sparring together just a couple of weeks ago in Belfast. It’s definitely not the way you want to be ending a fight in front of your home crowd, in front of so many people, so I understand that emotions can be high.” He added, “All respect to him, I understand it would be tough.”

Like the Blessing Orakwe-Lekeisha Pergoliti incident, Perrie’s decision not to shake hands did not result in any punishment.