Carter Efe kept his celebrity boxing title on Thursday night after judges scored him the winner over Speed Darlington at the Chaos in the Ring show in Lagos.
The four-round bout took place at the Balmoral Convention Centre inside Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, as part of the Independence Day card that ran into the early hours of Friday. Organisers announced the result in the ring:
“After four rounds of action, we go through the judges’ scorecard. Your winner by unanimous decision and still celebrity champion is Carter Efe.”
The comedian and streamer entered the fight as the defending champion. Speed Darlington, the rapper also known as Akpi, had hoped to take the belt. Both men traded blows across the full distance before the judges returned a unanimous decision for Efe. The win extended his run in the Balmoral celebrity series. He had previously beaten singer Portable by unanimous decision in a three-round contest at the same venue in May.
Moments after the verdict, Efe looked past the local scene. He named American boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and American rapper DDG as the opponents he wants next, signalling an interest in an international matchup rather than another Nigerian celebrity clash.
The build-up had been noisy. Efe had questioned why Speed Darlington stepped up after the rapper’s earlier loss to Portable, telling him he had no business in the ring with him. Speed Darlington still showed up. The judges’ cards settled the argument in Efe’s favour and left the title with the champion.