A WBO cruiserweight title fight between Ezra Arenyeka and Godday Appah, billed as a symbolic peace fight between the Ijaw and Itsekiri communities of the Niger Delta, will headline Chaos in the Ring 4 at the Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on May 1.

The bout was unveiled at a world press conference in Lagos by promoters, Balmoral Group Promotions and Amir Khan Promotions, with the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control lending its full backing to the event.

Chief Executive Officer, Balmoral Group Promotions, Ezekiel Adamu, said the fight was conceived to channel long-running community tensions into sporting competition rather than street conflict.

“We don’t want to fight with guns or weapons anymore. We want to settle the score in the ring,” he said.

Adamu added that the winner of the Arenyeka-Appah bout would be named a Peace Ambassador for the Niger Delta region, reinforcing the event’s message of unity.

On the broader vision behind the franchise, Adamu said the card was structured to grow the sport’s appeal while giving back to the community.

“We are combining entertainment with professional boxing to make the sport more popular. The card will feature both celebrity and professional fights, and every event we organise must contribute positively to the community,” he said.

He pointed to the Ring of Hope Foundation as evidence of that commitment.

“After one of our previous events, we awarded scholarships to 20 students through the Ring of Hope Foundation,” he added.

President of the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control, Rafiu Ladipo, who was present at the press conference alongside Secretary Remi Aboderin, praised Balmoral Promotions for their efforts in elevating the standard of professional boxing in Nigeria.

He reassured that safety protocols would be strictly enforced across all bouts on the night, including the celebrity clash between Portable and Carter Efe.

Elsewhere on the card, teenage sensation Raheem Animashaun (19-0, 12 KOs), who became the youngest West African Boxing Union super-lightweight champion in history after turning professional at 16, faces Tanzanian veteran Emmanuel Amos (22-10-1, 13 KOs) and made no secret of his long-term ambitions.

The card also features Ghana’s Elvis Ahorgah (15-4, 13 KOs) against Newcastle’s Joe Laws (15-4, 5 KOs) in a super-middleweight contest, British southpaw Michael McKinson (27-2, 4 KOs) against undefeated Algerian prospect Mohammad Sahnoun (8-0, 6 KOs).

There is also a bout between national middleweight champion Rasheed Adeyemo (16-2, 9 KOs) and Tanzania’s Nicolaus Mdoe (15-8-2, 11 KOs), Basit Adebayo (9-0-1, 4 KOs) against Loren Japhet (20-9-3, 4 KOs) and a welterweight clash between UK-based Ghanaian Samuel Antwi (18-2, 8 KOs) and Congolese veteran Paul Kamanga (24-3, 13 KOs).