Nifemi Babasanmi
Big Brother Naija Level Up winner, Josephina Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, has emerged champion after defeating Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing Sunday, in a celebrity boxing match in Lagos.
The bout was held on Wednesday, October 1, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. It was part of Balmoral Promotions’ Independence Day event tagged ‘Chaos in the Ring’.
The fight was billed as the first female celebrity boxing contest in the history of the promotion.
Phyna won the four-round contest by technical knockout in the final round. The reality TV star sent her opponent to the canvas, and the referee stopped the bout after Nkechi Blessing failed to beat the count.
Announcing the result, the organisers said, “We do have our winner for the first-ever female celebrity bout in the history of Chaos in the Ring. A fourth-round technical knockout, your new champion is Phyna.”
The victory earned Phyna a cash prize of N50 million, a brand-new car and a championship belt.
The contest settled a weeks-long public dispute between the two entertainers. Their disagreement had earlier played out on social media and led to heated exchanges at the pre-fight press conference on September 29.
Speaking after her victory, Phyna said she remained calm and strategic during the early rounds of the bout.
“I came in, and I kept my cool and did the thing,” she said.
The former BBNaija winner also disclosed her intention to pursue a career in professional boxing and called out fellow Nollywood actress, Etinosa Idemudia, as her next challenger.
“I think it is time I teach her a lesson,” Phyna added.
Etinosa, who watched the fight from ringside, accepted the challenge.
The celebrity bout is one of the highlights of the Chaos in the Ring event. Ghana’s Seth “Freezy Macbones” Gyimah dethroned Godday “Zodsolo” Appah in the main event, while skit maker Carter Efe defeated singer Speed Darlington by technical knockout in another celebrity bout.
