Habeeb ‘Portable’ Badmus has claimed his defeat to Carter Efe at the Chaos in the Ring 4 event in Lagos was engineered to protect organisers from paying out billions of naira wagered on his victory, insisting he was stopped prematurely when he could have continued, Sports Extra reports.
“It was cheating. They couldn’t pay the money, so they rigged it. We are the ones who won, so they ripped me. They couldn’t pay the N23 billion that people bet on me. If Portable wins, they can never pay the money,” the ZaZoo crooner said.
He further claimed that the stoppage was unjustified, comparing his condition during the bout to his previous celebrity fights.
“They should have let us keep fighting. 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.
Portable lost by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 27-30 in Efe’s favour after three rounds. The defeat ended his reign as celebrity boxing champion, having previously beaten Charles Okocha and Speed Darlington to claim two belts.
His complaints extended to finances, with the singer also demanding what he described as streaming revenue from the event.
“To the organisers, I want my stream money amounting to about N200 million. Just give me my money before I cause trouble,” he said.
Meanwhile, a Canada-based Nigerian doctor, Arinze Onwumelu, has urged Portable to undergo a brain scan following the bout, warning that the punches delivered by Efe may have caused internal damage. Onwumelu, known as Dr Zo, said Efe struck sensitive areas of Portable’s head repeatedly and advised that the singer be taken for an MRI to rule out a subdural haematoma.
“Anybody 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 said, adding that exhibition bouts of that nature should mandate headguards for participants in future.
Despite the defeat and the medical concern, Portable said the birth of his son on the same night put everything in perspective.
“My wife just gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. I value that more than a belt. You can buy the belt, but not my child,” he said.