Street-pop singer Habeeb Okikiola, known as Portable, has spoken out after losing his celebrity boxing rematch against Nollywood actor Charles Okocha by disqualification.
The bout, tagged “Unfinished Business,” took place on Friday, July 31, at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. It was organised as a follow-up to the pair’s first fight in December 2023, which Okocha had disputed after losing.
Portable walked out of the ring before the first round ended. Officials disqualified him and awarded the win to Okocha. The fight had turned into a scuffle that the referee struggled to control, and security staff stepped in to separate both men after the bell rang.
On Saturday, Portable posted a video on Instagram giving his account of what happened. He lifted his shirt to show marks on his back, which he said were bite wounds.
“He bit me. I landed a heavy hit on him,” Portable said, referring to Okocha.
He insisted he had controlled the fight before the trouble started. “Normally, I beat him up. Man to man, one man is tougher than another,” he said.
Portable said the incident had convinced him to step away from boxing for good. “He choked my neck. Camera it. That’s why I say I don’t fight again. I’m big! I’m bigger than the money! I’m a star!” he said.
He also said he had planned to end the fight quickly. “I wore one-round cloth to the bout. I wanted to beat him in one round,” he said, adding that he had promised himself he would land 10 blows during the contest and did so.
Hours after the video, Portable’s management, Zeh Nation/Dr Zeh, issued a statement apologising to fans and organisers. The statement named Balmoral Group, the event’s organiser, and asked the public to accept Portable’s decision.
“We understand the disappointment caused by the outcome of the fight and by Portable’s decision to step away after the first round,” the statement read. “We respectfully ask everyone to respect his decision and perspective.”
Management said it took full responsibility for the disappointment caused and promised improvement in future contests.
The loss reverses Portable’s result from the pair’s first meeting, which he won and had used to call himself the better fighter ahead of the rematch. It also follows an earlier defeat this year to content creator Carter Efe in a separate celebrity boxing match.
Before the fight, tension between Portable and Okocha had already surfaced. During a pre-bout interview on July 29, the two nearly came to blows when Portable, shirtless, threw mock punches at Okocha, prompting the actor to tell him to save it for the ring.
