Lagos witnessed a night of celebrity drama, heated rivalries and boxing action as Carter Efe and Phyna emerged victorious at Balmoral Promotions’ Chaos in the Ring event.
Carter Efe defeated rapper Speed Darlington in their four-round celebrity contest, while reality TV star Phyna knocked out actress Nkechi Blessing in what became Nigeria’s first female celebrity boxing bout.
The event took place at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, as part of the Independence Day celebrations on Thursday, October 1, with some of the action extending into the early hours of Friday.
Carter Efe settles Speed Darlington rivalry
Carter Efe, whose real name is Oderhohwo Joseph Efe, maintained his unbeaten record in the celebrity boxing series after overcoming Speed Darlington.
The contest followed weeks of provocative exchanges between the two entertainers, with their rivalry producing plenty of drama before they eventually entered the ring.
Efe had already established himself in the celebrity boxing scene after defeating singer Habeeb “Portable” Badmus by unanimous decision in May.
This time, he once again walked away with the victory after dominating Speed Darlington during their four-round encounter.
The result further strengthened Efe’s reputation within the Chaos in the Ring series and could open the door to bigger celebrity boxing challenges.
Phyna knocks out Nkechi Blessing
The night’s other major celebrity contest delivered perhaps the biggest history-making moment.
Phyna, whose real name is Josephina Otabor, stopped Nkechi Blessing in the fourth round of their scheduled four-round bout to become the first winner of a female celebrity boxing contest in Nigeria.
The victory also brought an end, at least inside the ring, to a bitter public dispute between the two entertainers.
Their disagreement had developed from a social media clash into a full-blown celebrity rivalry before eventually finding its way into boxing.
The pair had previously exchanged insults online and later confronted each other during a recording of The Morayo Show, where their disagreement reportedly became physical before production staff intervened.
The tension intensified during the build-up to their boxing match, with their press appearances featuring heated exchanges and confrontations.
Inside the ring, however, Phyna had the final say.
After her victory, she received a ₦50 million prize and immediately set her sights on another celebrity opponent.
Rather than simply celebrate her victory, Phyna used the moment to announce her next potential challenge.
The former Big Brother Naija winner called out actress Etinosa Idemudia, accusing her of repeatedly disturbing her through direct messages.
Etinosa, who was present at the event, accepted the challenge.
The development immediately raised the possibility of another female celebrity boxing contest, while Phyna also revealed that she intends to explore professional boxing.
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If she follows through, her victory over Nkechi could represent the beginning of a new chapter rather than a one-off celebrity appearance.
Freezy Macbones dethrones Godday Appah
Away from the celebrity contests, Ghanaian boxer Seth “Freezy Macbones” Gyimah produced one of the biggest sporting results of the night.
Freezy defeated Nigeria’s Godday “Zodsolo” Appah on points in their 10-round championship bout to claim the WBO African Light Heavyweight title.
Appah entered the contest as the defending champion, but the Ghanaian went the distance and secured the judges’ decision.
The result ended Appah’s reign and saw the championship return to Ghana.
The professional undercard also produced a number of decisive results.
Michael “Killerboy” Babalola defeated Lucky Oyibo by unanimous decision in their four-round super-welterweight contest.
David Tagoe of Ghana faced Nigeria’s Yusuf Adisa Adeniji in an eight-round bout, with Adeniji winning by unanimous decision.
Israel Makinde recorded one of the quickest victories of the evening after stopping Abiodun Muyideen in the first round.
Basit “Joker Boy” Adebayo defeated Toheeb Kehinde by technical knockout in the sixth round, while Muibi Lekan secured a unanimous decision victory over Eworitse Ezra Arenyeka.