According to PUNCH Sports Extra, Habeeb “Portable” Badmus has asserted that his loss to Carter Efe at the Chaos in the Ring 4 event in Lagos was orchestrated to shield organizers from having to pay out billions of naira wagered on his victory. He claims he was stopped early when he might have continued.
“It was dishonest. They manipulated it since they couldn’t afford the money. They tore me apart because we were the winners. The N23 billion that people wagered on me was beyond their means. The ZaZoo crooner stated, “Portable can never pay the money if they win.
Comparing his condition during the battle to his prior star fights, he further asserted that the stoppage was unjustified.
“They ought to have given us more time to fight. They said I was panting, I did the same against Charles Okocha. All they should have done was pour water on me so I could go and beat him, but they said the fight was over,” he said.
After three rounds, all three judges scored the fight 27–30 in favor of Efe, and Portable lost by unanimous decision. After defeating Speed Darlington and Charles Okocha to win two titles, the loss put an end to his era as a celebrity boxing champion.
The artist also demanded what he called “streaming revenue from the event” as part of his financial grievances.
He said, “I want to give the organizers my stream money, which is approximately N200 million. Before I get into problems, just give me my money.”
Arinze Onwumelu, a Nigerian physician living in Canada, has advised Portable to have a head scan after the fight, cautioning that Efe’s blows might have damaged his internal organs. Onwumelu, also known as Dr. Zo, claimed that Efe frequently smacked Portable’s head in sensitive regions and suggested that the singer get an MRI to rule out a subdural hemorrhage.
“Anyone who knows Portable should take him to the hospital for an MRI and brain test; there may be an artery that might have been damaged,” he added, adding that future exhibition bouts of that kind ought to require competitors to wear headgear.
Portable claimed that the arrival of his baby that same evening put everything into perspective, despite the loss and the health issue.
He said, “A bouncy baby boy was just born to my wife. That is more valuable to me than a belt. “You can purchase the belt, but not my kid.”
