The Isakaba Returns remake consortium has congratulated actress and reality TV star Phyna following her victory over actress Nkechi Blessing in their celebrity boxing bout in Lagos.
The congratulatory message was delivered during a group telephone call involving members of the Isakaba Returns consortium, including director Lancelot Imasuen, executive producer Winnerman Utomi and Diran Michael Adeyinka, Chairman and CEO of WithinDlens Productions.
Phyna stopped Nkechi Blessing in the fourth round of their scheduled celebrity boxing contest at Balmoral Promotions’ Chaos in the Ring event, held at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos on Thursday, October 1.
The bout followed days of public attention around the actresses after a heated exchange between them at a press conference on September 29 ahead of the contest.
After Phyna secured the victory, Imasuen, Utomi and Adeyinka joined the group call to celebrate the result and congratulate the actress, who is part of the cast of their forthcoming film.
Phyna features prominently in Isakaba Returns, the new film based on Imasuen’s Issakaba franchise. She joins returning stars Sam Dede and Chiwetalu Agu, alongside Chidi Mokeme, Iyabo Ojo, Regina Daniels, Nosa Rex, Sanni Danger, Alex Osifo, Mark Angel, Francis Onwochei, Charles Okafor, Ben Olaye and other actors.
The film is being produced through a partnership involving Lancelot Imasuen Media Network Limited, LIAM Studios, WithinDlens Limited and Laho Music Worldwide Studios Limited.
Utomi, through LIAM Studios, serves as executive producer, working with Imasuen on the project. The collaboration also involves Prince Paul Agbonlahor of Lahor Group Worldwide and Diran Adeyinka of WithinDlens Limited.
The production partnership brings together the companies of the filmmakers and executives involved in the project, rather than positioning Isakaba Returns as a production solely credited to Imasuen.
The new film was shot in Asaba, Delta State, in early 2024 and revisits the world established by the original Issakaba, which starred Sam Dede as Ebube. Released in 2001, the original became one of the Nigerian action films associated with the era and went on to develop a strong following.
The remake continues that franchise with a new ensemble while retaining some of the faces associated with the original film.
Phyna’s involvement in the project adds another film credit to her growing acting career, following her rise to wider public recognition through reality television.
Her victory over Nkechi Blessing has now provided another point of attention around her appearance in Isakaba Returns, with members of the film’s consortium taking the opportunity to celebrate the result with her directly.
Isakaba Returns is scheduled for a nationwide theatrical release on November 13, 2026, exactly 25 years after the original Issakaba was released.
