Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Phyna, has defeated Nollywood actress Nkechi Blessing in a four-round celebrity boxing bout in Lagos.
Phyna, whose real name is Ijeoma Otabor, stopped Nkechi Blessing in the fourth and final round of the bout held on Thursday at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
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The fight was the first female celebrity boxing bout organised under Balmoral Promotions’ ‘Chaos in the Ring’ series.
Phyna took home ₦50 million in prize money, a championship belt and a new car following the victory. The bout was one of the major attractions at the Independence Edition of ‘Chaos in the Ring’, which was powered by Bet9ja and streamed on DAZN and SuperSport.
Phyna appeared to rely on her speed and movement in the early rounds, while Nkechi Blessing pressed forward and looked to engage her opponent at close range.
The actress kept pushing forward as the fight progressed, but Phyna maintained her movement before landing the decisive punch in the fourth round.
Nkechi Blessing was sent to the canvas and was unable to beat the referee’s count, bringing the contest to an end.
After the fight, Phyna said her strategy had been to conserve energy and allow her opponent to get tired before attempting to finish the contest in the final round.
The victory came after weeks of public exchanges between the two women, following a disagreement over a proposed collaboration.
The dispute began after Phyna and Nkechi Blessing exchanged messages about possible work engagements.
The disagreement became public on 17 September, when Nkechi Blessing criticised Phyna in an Instagram video, accusing her of repeatedly engaging in online disputes and questioning her conduct.
Phyna responded by releasing screenshots of their earlier conversations and accusing the actress of coming after her despite their limited interaction.
The exchanges escalated the following day when Balmoral Promotions announced their proposed boxing bout.
Both women subsequently traded threats and taunts ahead of the fight, with their rivalry spilling into several public appearances.
They confronted each other at Pretty Mike’s All White Party, then clashed again during an appearance on The Morayo Show.
The tension continued at their 29 September press conference and face-off in Victoria Island, where the two exchanged words and were involved in a physical confrontation before security personnel intervened.
Ahead of the fight, Phyna predicted that she would stop Nkechi Blessing in the second round.
However, the bout went the full scheduled distance of four rounds before Phyna secured victory in the final round.
Following her victory, Phyna called out another Nollywood actress, Etinosa Idemudia, claiming that the actress had been sending her messages.
Etinosa, who was present at the venue, accepted the challenge, potentially setting up another celebrity boxing bout. Phyna also indicated that she is interested in pursuing boxing beyond the celebrity contest.
On the same card, Carter Efe defeated Speed Darlington, while Ghanaian boxer Seth ‘Freezy Macbones’ Gyimah defeated Godday ‘Zodsolo’ Appah in the main event.
