Emeka ‘E-Money’ Okonkwo has confirmed he will honour his pledge of N50m to social media comedian, Carter Efe, following his victory over street artiste and ZaZoo crooner, Habeeb ‘Portable’ Badmus, at the Chaos in the Ring 4 event on Friday night at the Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
E-Money reaffirmed his commitment after Balmoral Group Promotions CEO, Ezekiel Adamu, put the question to him at the end of the night.
“You know we put our money where our mouth is, and so congratulations Carter on your win. N50 million for you,” E-Money said. Adamu, on his part, said the event had delivered on all its promises.
“We promised Chaos in the Ring, and we have delivered very entertaining fights tonight. There is more coming, thanks to everyone that made this a success and to the fighters for the great display,” he said.
In the co-main event, Godday Appah, was crowned the new WBO Africa cruiserweight champion after defeating Ezra Arenyeka by split decision.
The bout had been billed as a symbolic WBO Peace Fight between the Itsekiri and Ijaw communities of the Niger Delta.
The same night, Basit Adebayo claimed the WBO Africa title with a unanimous decision victory over former WABU champion, Loren Japhet.
Friday’s result was the culmination of a month-long verbal war between Efe and Portable, who had arrived at the event with considerable pedigree, having previously beaten Charles Okocha and Speed Darlington in celebrity exhibition bouts to win two belts.
The ZaZoo crooner made no secret of his intentions, telling Efe directly, “I will use you to collect my third belt. Charles Okocha was bigger than you, Speed Darlington was bigger than you and I beat them. I will beat you now.”
Also Read: Portable gets three months jail sentence
Efe was unmoved, warning his opponent that the night would end quickly for him. “One punch and you fall,” he replied.
When the two finally met in the ring, however, it was the skit-maker who imposed himself from the opening bell.
Portable came out throwing his trademark wild, erratic punches but Efe, the taller man, responded calmly with uppercuts and sharp body shots.
Portable continued to swing wide and clinch across the second and third rounds, but Efe grew sharper as the fight wore on, landing consistently clean combinations that left little doubt about the outcome.
All three judges scored the bout 27-30, handing Efe a comfortable unanimous decision and the celebrity boxing crown.
In a related development, Afrobeats artiste, Habeeb Badmus, popularly known as Portable, has cried foul following his defeat in a celebrity boxing match to skit maker, Carter Efe, on Saturday morning.
Speaking during a live video on his Instagram page after the match, the singer claimed that the fight was skewed against him.
He said, “I was robbed. Carter Efe was not professional enough. He was strangling with his long hands and height. I threw him many punches, why didn’t you people count them? Any blow that I threw to him ought to count even if it meets him on the shoulder or hand. And to the organisers, I want my stream money amounting to about N200 million. Just give me my money before I cause trouble.
“They did ojoro for me. All of you are mad. Carter Efe was just holding my neck. I was punching him too but you people are not talking about that. They knew he is tall and has long hands but still put him in a boxing match with me.”
Despite the loss, the singer said he was unbothered about relinquishing his title, stressing that family meant more to him than belts.
“You can only buy a belt with money, but a child cannot be bought. You people cheated. They can’t pay the money amounting to the sum of N23 billion. I thought I was going to dance with my belt but I ended up with my new baby.
“My wife just gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. I value that more than a belt. You can buy the belt but not my child,” he added.
Portable’s comments came after he was beaten by Carter Efe in an unanimous decision at the Chaos in the Ring 4 event held at Balmoral Hall in Lagos.
All three judges scored the contest 27–30 in favour of Efe, ending Portable’s reign as celebrity boxing champion.
Before the fight, Portable had exuded confidence, boasting that he would secure a third belt after previous victories over Charles Okocha and Speed Darlington.
“I will use you to collect my third belt,” he had said. “Charles Okocha was bigger than you, Speed Darlington was bigger than you, and I beat them. I will beat you now.”
Cater Efe, however, dismissed the threat, replying, “One punch and you fall.”
Inside the ring, the comedian delivered on his promise, using his height and reach advantage to outbox Portable across three rounds, landing cleaner punches and controlling the pace of the fight.
The victory confirmed Cater Efe as the new celebrity boxing champion.
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