Nigerian entertainers Carter Efe and Phyna emerged as the major celebrity winners at the Chaos in the Ring Independence Edition in Lagos, defeating Speed Darlington and Nkechi Blessing respectively in two closely watched boxing contests.
The fights were held at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary.
Channels Television reports that Carter Efe celebrity boxing champion Carter Efe retained his title after the referee stopped his four-round contest against rapper Speed Darlington. Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner Phyna also recorded a major Phyna celebrity boxing victory after knocking out Nollywood actress Nkechi Blessing in the fourth round.
The two fights brought rivalries that had played out publicly before the event into the boxing ring, with Carter and Phyna ultimately leaving with victories.
Carter Efe Retains Celebrity Boxing Title
Carter Efe controlled his contest against Speed Darlington before the referee intervened after Speed stopped responding during the fight.
The stoppage handed Carter a technical knockout victory and extended his unbeaten run in the Chaos in the Ring celebrity boxing series.
His latest Carter Efe celebrity boxing victory followed his May fight against Nigerian singer Habeeb “Portable” Badmus. Carter won that three-round contest by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 30-27 in his favour.
The win against Speed Darlington therefore gave Carter another result to add to his growing record in the celebrity boxing series.
Following the fight, Carter turned his attention towards the possibility of facing opponents outside Nigeria.
“I want an international opponent. I am tired of Akpi Speed Darlington and Portable. I want to fight with DDG. They are boxers. I want to fight with Mayweather,” he said, according to Channels Television.
The entertainer named American YouTuber and musician DDG and former world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. among the people he would like to face.
Carter also expressed interest in seeing Nigerian content creators Shank Comics and Kiekie meet in a future celebrity boxing contest.
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Carter Efe remains unbeaten in the Chaos in the Ring celebrity boxing series after victories over Portable and Speed Darlington.
Phyna Knocks Out Nkechi Blessing in Fourth Round
Phyna delivered another major result of the night when she defeated Nkechi Blessing in the final round of their scheduled four-round contest.
The Phyna celebrity boxing fight began with the reality television star relying on her movement and speed, while Nkechi pressed forward in an attempt to engage at close range.
Nkechi continued applying pressure as the contest progressed, but Phyna stayed mobile before eventually landing the decisive punch in the fourth round.
The blow sent Nkechi to the canvas, and she was unable to beat the referee’s count.
Phyna was consequently declared the winner by knockout.
Her victory came with a ₦50 million reward, a championship belt and a new car.
The contest also marked the first female celebrity boxing fight staged under Balmoral Promotions’ Chaos in the Ring series, adding another dimension to an event that has attracted Nigerian entertainment personalities into competitive boxing.
Phyna Calls Out Etinosa After Victory
Phyna was already looking towards another possible opponent after securing her first victory.
Following the Phyna celebrity boxing contest, she challenged Nollywood actress Etinosa Idemudia, who was present at the event.
Etinosa accepted the challenge, potentially opening the door for another female celebrity boxing contest.
Phyna also indicated an interest in exploring boxing beyond celebrity matchups.
Her fight against Nkechi followed weeks of public disagreement between the two entertainers.
According to Channels Television, their dispute became public in September after Nkechi criticised Phyna in an Instagram video over her conduct and alleged involvement in online disputes.
Phyna responded by sharing screenshots of conversations between them and accusing the actress of targeting her despite their limited interaction.
The disagreement eventually became part of the build-up to their boxing contest.
Their promotional appearances included confrontations before the fight, while their September 29 press conference and face-off in Victoria Island also resulted in a physical confrontation before security personnel intervened.
Phyna had predicted that she would stop Nkechi in the second round. The knockout eventually came in the fourth.
Carter Efe and Speed Darlington Settle Their Rivalry in the Ring
The Carter Efe and Speed Darlington contest similarly followed a rivalry that had developed publicly before the event.
Speed Darlington challenged Carter following the latter’s victory over Portable, beginning a series of exchanges between the entertainers.
Their rivalry continued through promotional activities and public appearances ahead of the fight.
At one event, Speed Darlington kicked Carter’s birthday cake to the ground. Another appearance saw firecrackers set off by Carter’s entourage cause a brief fire that was quickly extinguished.
Their exchanges eventually gave way to the actual contest, where Carter took control before the referee brought the fight to an end.
The victory leaves Carter looking towards bigger names as he considers the next stage of his Carter Efe celebrity boxing run.
Professional Boxing Also Takes Centre Stage
Celebrity fights were not the only contests on the night.
Ghanaian boxer Seth “Freezy Macbones” Gyimah defeated Nigeria’s Godday “Zodsolo” Appah by unanimous decision in a professional championship bout.
Gyimah’s victory earned him the WBO African Light Heavyweight Continental Championship.
The professional fight added another layer to an event largely driven by the attention surrounding some of Nigeria’s best-known entertainment personalities.
What This Means For Africa
The Lagos event reflects the growing connection between entertainment, digital culture and sport across Africa.
Celebrity boxing gives entertainers another way to engage audiences beyond the industries where they originally built their names. Online creators, reality television personalities, actors and musicians can bring established fan communities into a sporting environment, creating attention around both the personalities and the contests.
For Carter Efe, defeating Speed Darlington extended an unbeaten run that already included a victory over Portable.
For Phyna, defeating Nkechi Blessing introduced another prominent Nigerian entertainment personality to the format while also marking the first female celebrity fight under the Chaos in the Ring series.
With Carter calling for international opponents and Phyna already challenging Etinosa, both winners left Lagos with possible future fights already taking shape.
Carter Efe stopped Speed Darlington to extend his unbeaten celebrity boxing run, while Phyna knocked out Nkechi Blessing in the fourth round and received ₦50 million, a championship belt and a new car.
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Image Credit: Punch
