Portable Calls Out Davido and Zlatan Ibile for Boxing Bouts After Carter Efe Defeat
Portable is not taking the loss quietly. Days after his unanimous decision defeat to Carter Efe at the Chaos in the Ring 4 event in Lagos on May 1, Habeeb ‘Portable’ Badmus has called out both Davido and Zlatan Ibile for celebrity boxing matches — and the motivations are about as transparent as they come: money and revenge.
What He Said
Speaking on a TikTok Live session, the ZaZoo crooner was direct: “Bring Davido or Zlatan. Let me beat them so I can use them to make money and buy what I want. I want a sure fight now so I can make money. I am ready now.”
No subtlety there. Portable lost his celebrity boxing title to Carter Efe — all three judges scored it 27-30 — snapping his winning streak that included victories over Charles Okocha and Speed Darlington. Now he wants back in the ring, and he wants big names with guaranteed payouts.
The Zlatan Factor
The callout of Zlatan Ibile carries some extra edge. After Portable’s loss, Zlatan took to X to announce he had N10 million ready in cash for Carter Efe — barely concealing a jab at the defeated singer. TG Omori, Ubi Franklin, and other celebrities also piled on. Portable noticed. The boxing callout is, at least partly, payback for the mockery.
As for Davido, his offence was celebrating with Carter Efe after the bout. In Portable’s world, that’s enough to earn a boxing invitation.
The Bigger Picture
Beyond the fight talk, Portable is chasing money on multiple fronts. He called out KCee and his billionaire brother E-Money — who gifted Carter Efe N50 million on the night — demanding they honour commitments made to him before the bout. He also asked Timaya to make good on a Ferrari the DM Records boss brought to the event.
On top of that, Portable claims the fight was rigged because organisers could not pay out the N23 billion he says was wagered on his victory, and he’s demanding N200 million in streaming revenue from the event. None of these claims have been verified.
Carter Efe, for his part, has dismissed talk of a rematch. He won clearly, and he doesn’t appear to be in a rush to give Portable another shot. Whether Davido or Zlatan respond to the callout remains to be seen — but in Nigeria’s celebrity boxing ecosystem, stranger things have happened.
Sources: Punch, Premium Times, Legit.ng
Written by
Folake Adeyemi
Culture writer covering Afrobeats, Nollywood, fashion, and Nigerian pop culture. Entertainment Editor at NaijaTrend.
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