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Portable, Carter Efe headline celebrity boxing showdown in Lagos

Nigeria’s social media megastars Carter Efe and Portable will headline a major celebrity boxing bout in Lagos on May 1.

The blockbuster fight night, tagged “Chaos in the Ring,” is being staged by Balmoral Group Promotions in conjunction with AK Promotions and will showcase some of Africa’s brightest boxing talents on a global stage. The event will be broadcast live worldwide on DAZN.

The event will take place at the Federal Palace Hotel and will feature a stacked fight card combining professional boxing with celebrity bouts.

Beyond the celebrity matchup, the event will include several professional contests involving African and international fighters.

Speaking ahead of the event, Balmoral Group Promotions CEO Ezekiel Adamu said the fight night was designed to spotlight the continent’s growing influence in boxing.

“This is Africa’s moment. We’ve built this card to showcase our own talent, the warriors who have come through the ranks here in Africa. We’ve teamed up once again with Amir Khan to put Nigeria and the continent on the map for the world to see,” he said.

Khan echoed the excitement, highlighting the passion boxing generates across Africa.

“I’ve been in big fights around the globe, but the passion in Africa is something special. These fighters have heart, skill and fire; now they get to show it on the biggest stage. Lagos is going to be electric,” he said.

The event will feature a celebrity bout between Carter Efe and Portable, whose combined following of more than 10 million fans has fuelled a heated rivalry that will finally be settled inside the ring.

The fight card will be headlined by a Nigerian cruiserweight clash between Ezra Arenyeka (15-2, 12 KOs) and Godday Appah (14-2, 13 KOs).

Arenyeka, known as the “Nigerian King,” will take on the relentless Appah, nicknamed “Zodsolo,” whose 93 percent knockout ratio makes him one of Africa’s most dangerous finishers. The bout has been dubbed the “Niger Delta Peace Fight,” pitting Warri-born Arenyeka against Bayelsa-born Appah.

In another intriguing matchup, Ghana’s Elvis Ahorgah (15-4, 13 KOs) faces Newcastle’s Joe Laws (15-4, 5 KOs) in a super-middleweight contest expected to deliver fireworks.

British southpaw Michael McKinson (27-2, 4 KOs) will take on undefeated Algerian prospect Mohammad Sahnoun (8-0, 6 KOs).

Nigerian teenage sensation Raheem Animashaun (19-0, 12 KOs) will battle Tanzanian veteran Emmanuel Amos (22-10-1, 13 KOs) in a youth-versus-experience showdown.

Elsewhere on the card, Basit Adebayo (9-0-1, 4 KOs) meets Tanzania’s Loren Japhet (20-9-3, 4 KOs), while national middleweight champion Rasheed Adeyemo (16-2, 9 KOs) faces hard-hitting Tanzanian Nicolaus Michael Mdoe (15-8-2, 11 KOs).

The night concludes with a welterweight clash between UK-based Ghanaian Samuel Antwi (18-2, 8 KOs) and Congolese veteran Paul Kamanga (24-3, 13 KOs), rounding off a stacked card expected to showcase African boxing at its finest.