Nigerian celebrity boxers Charles Okocha and Habeeb “Portable” Badmus will meet again in the ring on July 31 at the Balmoral Convention Center, Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.Â
The bout is part of the “Chaos in the Ring 4” event, organized by Balmoral Group Promotions.
The rematch follows Portable’s win over Okocha in their first fight, decided by unanimous judges’ vote. Okocha disputed the outcome and invoked a rematch clause in their contract. Promotion CEO Ezekiel Adamu confirmed the decision at a press conference on Tuesday, stating that Okocha requested the second bout and the promotion agreed to arrange it.
The press conference itself became disorderly. Portable opened with a warning to his opponent, saying he would “break your bones.” Okocha responded by dismissing their earlier meeting as not a genuine contest, insisting the coming fight would be “the real deal” and predicting Portable would not last two rounds.
Words soon gave way to physical confrontation. A soda bottle thrown during the exchange sparked a fight involving punches and chairs thrown between the two camps. Security staff took several minutes to separate the parties.
The disorder extended beyond the two boxers. A separate, long-standing dispute between street-pop musicians Mr. Real (Okafor Victor) and Idowest (Adekunle Idowu) also surfaced at the event, with both men trading threats ahead of their own scheduled bout. Backstage, WBO Africa cruiserweight titleholder Godday Appah and his challenger, Lekan “The Engine” Muibi, required security intervention after a heated argument.
The full fight card for July 31 includes several matchups: Taiwo “Esepo” Agbaje against South Africa’s Ayabonga Sonjika; Mr. Real against Idowest; Portable against Okocha; Appah defending his title against Muibi; and Rilwan Lawal against Yusuf Adeniji.
Adamu noted that Agbaje’s opponent was not the promotion’s original choice, saying a Nigerian fighter and a Mexican fighter had both withdrawn before the South African accepted. Agbaje said he is fully prepared and expects to win by knockout within four rounds.
Adeniji, who faces the more experienced Lawal, said he respects his opponent but believes it is time to end his career. Lawal rejected the idea that his age works against him, saying he still intends to win.
Adamu added that the event will be broadcast for those unable to attend, streaming on DAZN and airing on local channels as well.
