Portable had beaten singer Speed Darlington and Nollywood actor Charles Okocha in previous editions of celebrity boxing.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigerian street-pop artiste and songwriter Habeeb Okikiola Badmus, popularly known as Portable, has alleged that the organisers of Friday’s celebrity boxing bout between him and streamer Carter Efe scripted the event to evade paying N23 billion to those who placed bets on his victory.
The controversial musician made the claim in an Instagram video shared on Sunday after facing a backlash on social media for losing the fight.
Carter Efe defeated Portable in a celebrity boxing match held in Lagos, pocketing a N50 million cash prize. Carter was crowned the winner after the judges scored him 30 to Portable’s 27.
Following Portable’s defeat, many Nigerians took to various social media platforms to mock him for losing, despite his week-long verbal threats to beat Carter.
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Reacting to the loss, the singer claimed the bout was stage-managed by the organisers to ensure his defeat.
“Na Zazu, anywhere I follow is where una go follow. I’m the king while you guys are the chiefs. Everybody go dey follow my way. You guys don’t have a different pattern, different content, different music and lifestyle. Aside from being a celebrity or a musician, can’t you invent something new?” he said.
“I made Nigerian boxing big by originating celebrity fights. All of you mocking me can’t kill me. So, you guys don’t love me. To those mocking me, for your information, I had already been paid N40 million before the match; we were only fighting for the remaining N10 million.
“My fans, I was paid N40 million before the fight and was also paid N1 million each per post to promote the match five times—that is N5 million, and N45 million in total. Carter Efe was throwing foul blows at me; the referee was not fair. Even if I had won the match, the money for everyone who bet on my victory would be 17 million in dollars. That’s 23 billion in Naira; who would pay that? Can the organisers pay?”
“Carter Efe’s victory was intentional. How many people bet on Carter? Most people bet on me. They believe in me, and I believe in myself and in God. I am the first musician to bring boxing to Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, many Nigerian celebrities have taunted Portable for losing the much-anticipated fight.
Those who flooded the internet with posts aimed at him include Cute Abiola, Ubi Franklin, Zlatan, and music video director TG Omori, among others.
Sharing a short clip of the fight, TG Omori wrote on X: “Them blow Portable, Portable turn 360, Carter Efe burst laugh I don die.”
Zlatan also commented: “Portable ke, person wey don drink Lacoco. Carter Efe, your N10 million is waiting for you in cash.”
Cute Abiola created a comedy skit featuring Portable angrily challenging his spiritualist over the phone regarding his defeat, while Ubi Franklin captioned a video of the match with laughing emojis.
Prior to this defeat, Portable had emerged victorious against fellow singer Speed Darlington and Nollywood actor Charles Okocha in previous editions of celebrity boxing.
