I was painted as the villain in Phyna dispute — Ashmusy

Content creator Amarachi Amusi, popularly known as Ashmusy, has broken her silence on her highly publicised dispute with Big Brother Naija star Phyna, saying she never set out to betray her colleague.

Ashmusy said the controversy surrounding a proposed celebrity boxing event left her hurt and damaged her reputation after she was portrayed online as the person responsible for Phyna’s exclusion from the planned fight.

Speaking with Saturday Beats, the influencer explained that her participation in the boxing event was uncertain from the beginning and that she never signed the contract sent to her by the organisers.

According to her, she was holidaying in Japan when she was initially approached about the event and was too occupied to give it serious consideration. Phyna later contacted her and encouraged her to take part.

“I told her I wasn’t sure, but several times in the chat, I told her, ‘I am in. Let’s do it,’ just to go with the flow because I was very busy at the time,” she said.

Ashmusy said her hesitation was reflected in her failure to return the contract.

“She was convincing me. I hadn’t looked too deeply into it, but in my head, I knew I wasn’t sure. Hence, the contract they sent to me was delayed. I never sent back a signed contract till date,” she added.

The dispute reportedly began after Ashmusy asked the organisers whether she could select another opponent because she was uncomfortable with the proposed matchup with Phyna.

She said she made the request during a conversation with a representative of the organisers after being repeatedly contacted about confirming her participation.

“We went on a group call with the company and one of the representatives of the organisers. She was following up with me, and I then asked to speak with her. After so much back and forth, I got back to her and said, ‘I am not sure I want to do this fight o, but is it allowed to choose somebody I match with to fight? To choose somebody else that I think my physical fragility matches with?’” she recalled.

Ashmusy said she was unaware that choosing another opponent could affect Phyna’s own participation.

“This person didn’t inform me that if I picked someone else to fight, it meant Phyna would have to step down or Phyna’s own fight would be delayed. I had no idea. I wasn’t informed,” she said.

She explained that she assumed the event would feature several bouts and therefore did not understand that her decision could have consequences for Phyna.

“In my head, it was like a full day where you could have plenty of boxing matches,” she added.

Ashmusy also said her communication with the organisers became rushed because she was simultaneously dealing with a busy travel schedule.

“I was in communication with the lady because she was pressuring me, asking, ‘What’s up with my match?’ She would say, ‘You are the one delaying us o. Let’s make payment this week,’ etc. It was just like that. It was a bit disorganised because I was busy.”

The situation escalated publicly after Phyna discussed the dispute during three separate live videos on social media, according to Ashmusy.

She said the fallout exposed her to widespread criticism and affected her emotionally.

“Three different live videos were posted on her page. I started being bashed online and being called all sorts of names,” she said.

Ashmusy said the backlash was particularly painful because of the effort she had invested in building her public image.

“And I had worked really hard, personally and brand-wise, to get to the point where I am with my brand this year, without any scandal or bashing,” she said.

“Experiencing that really broke me and hurt me in ways I cannot explain because I had worked too hard to avoid it. I am no longer in that space anymore. It really hurt.”

She also disputed the authenticity of some conversations circulated online during the dispute, although she acknowledged that she had not reviewed all the alleged chats.

“I didn’t see those chats, but I believe those chats were doctored because the one Phyna showed me had misrepresentation in it,” she said.

Ashmusy said she deliberately avoided checking some of Phyna’s social media posts because she wanted to protect her mental health.

“That was the only one I saw on her DM. I didn’t check her story for the sake of my mental health,” she added.

After several days, Ashmusy said she reassessed the situation and decided to remove Teddy, a representative she had been communicating with, from the equation so she could understand the dispute more clearly.

“After some days, I reflected. I took Teddy out of the picture because, before then, she was the one blocking my view. I was hurt and pained that she threw me under the bus. I thought she had communicated with Phyna,” she said.

“After I took her out of the picture, I could clearly see the full picture.”

She said that reassessment made her appreciate Phyna’s position and recognise that the reality star had legitimate reasons to feel hurt, even though causing that hurt was never her intention.

“I realised, looking at it from the perspective I just explained, that Phyna must be really hurt. But, that was not my intention,” she said.

Ashmusy further disclosed that she attempted to resolve the dispute privately after she began receiving death threats.

“I reached out to the company because I was getting death threats. I also reached out to Phyna to see how we could fix things online, but everybody kept declining,” she said.

“I was painted as the villain, and nobody wanted to come forward or put out a press release.”

Despite the public perception that their relationship had completely broken down, Ashmusy said she and Phyna had since spoken and made progress towards reconciliation.

“I spoke with Phyna and we sort of reconciled, but on the internet, I am being painted as the evil one,” she said.

The content creator said the experience had also changed how she intends to handle future professional engagements.

“Whatever the case may be, I have learnt my lesson. I will watch my steps more, and every damage will be fixed, with God on our side,” she said.