Today, companies of boxers travel performing outdoor matches accompanied by ceremony and drumming, throughout the traditional Hausa homelands of northern Nigeria, southern Niger and southwestern Chad.

Drawn from a specific lower caste of Hausa society who were the only ones who could ritually slaughter animals and handle meat, traveling butchers formed boxing teams from their ranks called "armies".

Their bouts took place at festivals marking the end of the harvest season, as clans of butchers would travel to slaughter animals for farm communities.

Harvest also marked a time when rural communities were flush with money, so gambling on feats of strength became closely associated with these celebrations.

In modern urban bouts, local competitions take place in temporary rings, often setup outside meatpacking plants as members of traditional butcher castes still predominate.

Sand filled West African Lutte Traditionnelle arenas, common in large towns, are used for larger bouts, and are often combined with traditional wrestling championships.

The music and chants are associated with both groups and individuals, and serve to call boxers to the ring, taunt opponents, and encourage audience participation.