Celebrity Boxing or Street Brawl? The Dangerous Spectacle of Akpi vs. Portable

Portable and Speed Darlington slugging it out on Saturday in a celebrity fight.

The celebrity boxing match between Akpi and Portable may have entertained fans and stirred social media buzz, but beneath the surface of the spectacle lies a serious concern: the complete lack of oversight, regulation, and safety protocols. What unfolded in that ring was not professional sport—it was a street fight dressed in lights and cameras.

There is absolutely no justification for allowing two individuals with no professional training, no licenses, and no medical clearances to enter a boxing ring without protective equipment. The moment two untrained, unlicensed entertainers squared off—without headgear, mouth guards, or prior medical screening—the event crossed from entertainment into dangerous territory.

Two non-boxers went toe-to-toe, cheered on by a rowdy crowd, with a so-called referee prancing around in comic attire, more interested in showmanship than enforcing any safety rules. It was chaos disguised as combat. Portable, the more aggressive of the two, launched wild, unchecked punches that could have caused catastrophic damage. In the end, Akpi walked away with a dislocated shoulder—not from a blow, but from holding his own weight under pressure. It could have been much worse.

And let’s not pretend Akpi posed no risk. While he was painfully sluggish and visibly uncoordinated, that doesn't make him harmless. In fact, his unpredictability in the ring added to the danger. Neither of them had control, technique, or stamina to ensure their own safety, let alone each other’s.

It’s deeply worrying that such an event was allowed to happen in the first place. There were no visible medical personnel ringside. No drug tests were administered. No evidence of a regulatory body involved. What we witnessed was not a sanctioned sporting event—it was a brawl, glorified and monetized for attention. Akpi’s post-fight claim that Portable used “juju” only added another layer of absurdity to what was already a reckless, unregulated display.

The risk of traumatic head injury was alarmingly high. And while the audience laughed, cheered, and tweeted, just one poorly placed punch could have ended in brain damage—or worse. The idea of a rematch should be dismissed outright. These are entertainers, not athletes. They belong on stage, not in a ring.

The organizers of this event have shown they are more concerned with ticket sales and viral clips than with the health and safety of the people they put under the lights. In their pursuit of spectacle, they gambled with lives. That two seemingly healthy individuals walk into a ring does not mean they are medically fit for combat. One blow, one second, is all it takes to turn fun into fatality.

Safety should always come first. Until celebrity matches are treated with the same seriousness and regulation as professional sports, they should not happen at all. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before someone leaves the ring in a body bag.