The build-up to “Chaos in the Ring 4” boxing bout took a new dimension during the week, following the exchange of sharp words between social media stars, Habeeb “Portable” Badmus and Carter Efe.

The event will hold today at the Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Badmus and Efe traded fresh threats ahead of the celebrity bout, just as the main event fighters, Ezra Arenyeka and Godday Appah also exchanged hot words.

Portable, who has previously beaten both Charles Okocha and Speed Darlington in celebrity exhibition bouts to win two belts, made it clear he intends to add Efe to the list of his victims.

An unmoved Efe while dismissing Portable’s record, warned that the bout would be brief. “You can’t beat me. You are scared of me. When we meet in the ring, I will beat you. One punch and you fall,” he fired back.

In the main event, Arenyeka and Appah, whose bout is billed as a symbolic WBO Peace Fight between the Itsekiri and Ijaw communities of the Niger Delta, set aside any goodwill between them at the face-off.

Appah was unsparing in his assessment of what awaited his opponent. “We were friends but there is no friendship in the ring. Right now, I am fighting for my belt, for my people and for the win. He knows who the king is. I am here for the knockout — this is war. You will not survive six rounds with me,” he said.

Arenyeka replied without hesitation saying, “I am going to break your head. You said six rounds — I will beat you in five. You will sleep in the ring.”

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Elvis Ahorgah and Newcastle’s Joe Laws added their own flavour to proceedings, with Ahorgah delivering his threats in rhyme in the manner of Muhammad Ali, while Laws painted his face in the colours of the Nigerian flag in a bid to win over the home crowd against a fighter from a rival nation.

British southpaw Michael McKinson, whose father is of Nigerian descent, also features on the card against Algerian prospect Mohammad Sahnoun and said he was looking forward to making a statement while soaking in the Nigerian culture.
Balmoral Group Promotions CEO Ezekiel Adamu said the face-offs reflect the broader ambition behind the event.

“It is entertainment, but I want these young guys to trust me that the world is watching. When you have a platform like this, it changes lives. This is what it is all about for us: giving these guys the opportunity and visibility and showing the best of African boxing. It is wartime and let’s show the world what we have to offer here in Africa,” he said.