Nigerian Street-pop singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, lost his celebrity boxing rematch against Nollywood actor Charles Okocha by disqualification on Friday after walking out of the ring before the end of the opening round at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The bout, dubbed “Unfinished Business”, was scheduled as a rematch of their contentious first fight, which Okocha said was wrongly awarded in Portable’s favour.
Portable appeared to have the upper hand before the bout devolved into a wrestling-style brawl, with the referee unable to separate the two participants.
The round ended when the bell rang, and security personnel and bodyguards interfered to restore order.
During the commotion, Portable ran out of the ring before the authorities could resume the match, prompting boos from spectators, especially VIP section fans who had come out for the highly anticipated bout.
Although he was convinced to return to the ring, officials later disqualified him, giving Okocha the victory.
Portable had said onstage before the fight, while holding his son, “I am not happy, but I want God to make me happy and my family.”
The defeat is a reversal of fortune for the singer, who won their previous bout and boasted during the final weigh-in that he was still the superior boxer.
