Nigerian celebrities have found a new way to stay in the spotlight, and this time, it comes with boxing gloves.
What was once an unusual spectacle is gradually becoming a familiar feature of the entertainment scene, with celebrities turning public disagreements, rivalries and social-media banter into boxing matches.
Portable has arguably become one of the biggest faces of the trend. In 2023, the singer faced actor Charles Okocha in a celebrity boxing bout in Lagos following their very public disagreement. Portable won the fight.
He returned to the ring in 2025, this time against comedian and Musician Speed Darlington. The rivalry had already played out online before the two eventually met in the ring, where Portable won by technical knockout.
Then came Carter Efe.
In May 2026, the comedian and content creator faced Portable in another celebrity boxing event. This time, Carter Efe emerged victorious by unanimous decision.
But the trend has now moved beyond musicians, actors and skit makers.
Just recently, crypto trader Ahmed XM and forex trader Habby Forex, also known as HabbyFX, took their own online rivalry into the boxing ring. The two had previously challenged each other publicly, with the proposed stakes eventually rising to ₦100 million each.
Their eventual showdown added another dimension to the growing boxing craze, showing that the attraction is spreading beyond traditional entertainment personalities.
And the women are getting involved too.
Reality TV star Phyna and actress Nkechi Blessing are set to face each other on October 1, 2026, at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos as part of Balmoral Group Promotions’ Chaos in the Ring series. Their fight follows a recent exchange between the two on social media.
What makes the trend interesting is how naturally it fits into the Nigerian celebrity ecosystem. The rivalry starts online, the challenge follows, training videos appear, fans take sides and eventually there is a live event.
In some cases, the boxing itself may even be secondary to the attention surrounding it. Kelvin Power, Portable’s opponent in one celebrity bout, later claimed that their fight was actually a paid advertisement and that his loss was staged.
That raises an obvious question: is boxing becoming the latest PR strategy for Nigerian celebrities?
Perhaps not everyone who enters the ring is doing it purely for publicity. But there is no denying what the format offers: visibility, conversation and weeks of content from a single event.
For an industry built around attention, the boxing ring may simply be the latest place to find it.
