Boxing announcer Dan Hennessey retires after naming wrong winner: 'No longer the world's punching bag'
One of the most bizarre boxing scenes in recent memory is going to end a career.
Four days after a debacle that drew comparisons to the "Moonlight" Oscars gaffe and Steve Harvey naming the wrong Miss Universe, boxing announcer Dan Hennessey announced that he will be hanging up his microphone. The former U.S. Marine cited the toll the incident has taken on his mental health.
Hennessey became infamous Saturday, when he announced the winner of a bout between WBA bantamweight champion Nina Hughes and former IBF super bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson. Reading the scorecards into the microphone, he announced Hughes as the winner by majority decision.
After hugs were exchanged and Hughes started celebrating with her corner, Hennessey got back on the microphone and told the fighters to reconvene at the center of the ring. There, he read off the same scores, this time with Johnson as the winner.
The ring announcer declares the wrong winner in Perth then corrects it 😳 pic.twitter.com/ze9Wxt6JaU
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 12, 2024
The scene earned Hennessey scorn from many. That includes ESPN's Joe Tessitore, who blasted the “absolute clown show garbage amateur hour we saw with the ring announcer” in the immediate aftermath.
Hughes was understandably upset at both Hennessey and the judges whose scores he misread. She said after the fight that she felt "robbed" and described the night as "the dirty side of the sport I love." She has already promised to exercise a rematch clause for another shot at Johnson.
Hennessey owned the mistake, apologizing on Facebook a day later and taking full responsibility for the situation. Unfortunately, he also misspelled Hughes' last name:
"I own it. It's all on me. I take full responsibility for the Chernika Johnson V Nina Houghs controversy. Not the Judges, not the sanctioned body. Me. I have apologized to all involved and now I apologize to you. I am sorry for what happened. Again I own it and can only try and do better next time. Not my best day in the office. I guess all the s***ty coments on socials I have coming. Again I am crushed and sorry for my s***storm of a preformance . You all deserved better. Sorry again"
The negative comments on social media apparently ended up having an effect on Hennessey, as he posted two days later that he would be retiring after doing one more event for promoter Sam Rapira:
"I love all the support from everyone. Thank you all for the kind words. Unfortunately the worldwide backlash is absolutely incredible and it's effecting my mental health to a degree where I will have 1 more show ever. I am doing this show because I am still a man of my word and promised Sam Rapira that I would do it because he is a great mate and I refuse to leave him hanging. I love and will keep in touch with all my friends from around the world. Thank you. No longer the world's punching bag. I'm out."
