The American boxing ring announcer who called the wrong winner after last weekend’s title fight has resigned.
After the boxing match between Cherneka Johnson and Nina Hughes in Australia on Saturday night, announcer Dan Hennessy read off the referee’s scorecard and incorrectly announced that Hughes was the winner of the WBA bantamweight title.
Hennessy said the ensuing social media backlash was too much to handle.
“Thank you to everyone for the kind words. Unfortunately, the global backlash has been truly incredible and has affected my mental health to the point where it is beyond my ability to perform one more show. ” he wrote on Facebook. “I’m doing this show because I’m still a man of my word…I love all of my friends around the world and I’ll keep in touch with them. Thank you. I’m no longer the punching bag of the world. No. I’m done.”
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Hennessy read the referee’s scorecard and incorrectly stated that Nina Hughes was the winner of the WBA bantamweight title. (George Tewkesbury/PA Image via Getty Images)
The resignation comes after Saturday’s controversy shocked the boxing world.
ESPN’s Joe Tessitore hit back at Hennessey on the controversy.
“I want to clear up what we saw in this absolute clown show, the garbage amateur time we saw earlier with the ring announcer,” he said.
On Saturday, Johnson and Hughes fought to the end, leaving the contest to the judges’ decision.
Both fighters believed they had won the contest and were looking forward to hearing how the judges scored it.
In contrast, Cherneka Johnson was elated when she heard she had actually won. (Warren Little/Getty Images)
The fighters joined Hennessy and the referee in the center of the ring, and Hennessy initially announced that Hughes was the winner of the match.
The enthusiastic boxer began to celebrate, but then realized his mistake.
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The fighters were called back to the center of the ring and it was revealed that Hennessy corrected Johnson and won by split decision.
Hughes was forced to go from victory to defeat, from hearing he was the champion to hearing he had lost for the first time in his professional career.
After the drama ended, Hughes said on Sky Sports: “I just don’t understand it.” “How can you announce that I won and then change the score? I thought I dominated early on. I thought she won in the last few rounds, but… , I felt like I won easily.”
She added: “I don’t understand how they change the score after announcing the winner. It’s a joke. I feel like I was robbed of a lot of time. We need a rematch. I didn’t lose in that fight.” . . ”
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In contrast, Johnson was overjoyed to hear that she had actually won.
“I’m not a judge, so I’m just glad they got the wrong verdict,” Johnson said. “Nina had a tough match. I’m not a judge, but I definitely think she won that match. I’m really happy that I won this match.”
Dan Hennessy read the referee’s scorecard and incorrectly announced that Hughes was the winner of the WBA bantamweight title. The ensuing social media backlash was too much to handle. (Adobe Stock)
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After the initial drama, Hennessy apologized on Facebook.
“I own it. It’s all on me. I take full responsibility for the Chenika Johnson vs. Nina Hughes controversy,” he wrote. “It’s me, not the judge or the sanctioning body.”
He added: “I apologize to everyone involved and I apologize now to everyone. I am sorry for what happened. Again, I take ownership and all I can do is try to do better next time.” No, it wasn’t my best day at the office.”
FOX News’ Ryan Gaydos and Reuters contributed to this report.
