A hoop announcer’s error following a girls’s bantamweight championship in Perth, Australia, on Sunday surprised the boxing world as reigning champion Nina Hughes seemingly reclaimed her title then misplaced it in a matter of seconds.
Hughes was initially introduced because the winner over Cherneka Johnson, however her fist-pumping celebration was lower quick when the referee introduced each girls again to the middle of the ring. The announcer, Daniel Hennessey, then accurately re-read the outcomes, which positioned the Australian fighter Johnson (16-2) on prime with a majority determination. Two judges had her profitable, 98-92 and 96-94, and the third decide referred to as the bout a draw.
The ring announcer declares the mistaken winner in Perth then corrects it 😳 pic.twitter.com/ze9Wxt6JaU
— High Rank Boxing (@trboxing) Could 12, 2024
Johnson stated she had blended feelings about the best way the choice was learn, however stated she deserved to be champion.
“I used to be fairly disenchanted when my identify wasn’t referred to as. I used to be fairly assured that I had gained that battle,” Johnson stated, including: “I felt the ref form of seize my hand, however my hand didn’t get raised. Once they got here again they usually stated that they’d introduced the mistaken identify, it was like, ‘That is my second. That was my second to shine.’”
Hughes (6-1) wrote in a publish on her Instagram story: “To say I’m gutted to be accomplished over soiled like that is an understatement.”
The English boxer additionally expressed confusion over the end result throughout a post-match information convention, saying she thought she gained the early rounds whereas feeling like Johnson took a couple of later within the bout.
“I’ve obtained no phrases, actually,” She stated. “As quickly as they referred to as me again, I believed, ‘What’s happening?’ Once they began saying scores once more, I believed, ‘They’re taking this away from me. I simply realize it.’”
Hughes’ coach Kevin Lilley referred to as the end result “bulls—.”
“That woman’s been blatantly robbed tonight, and to do it like that,” Lilley stated. “We stated it from day one. This was the issue with coming to Australia. You’re killing Australian boxing by doing issues like this. It was all arrange for Cherneka.”
The commentators Joe Tessitore and Timothy Bradley had been shocked by the ring announcer’s mistake.
“Is that this man for actual?” Tessitore stated throughout the broadcast.
The mixup shortly drew comparisons to Steve Harvey crowning the mistaken winner on the Miss Universe pageant in 2015, which noticed Miss Colombia topped earlier than Harvey interrupted her victory lap to announce Miss Philippines as the proper winner, and the notorious 2017 Oscars error that ended with “Moonlight” because the rightful winner of Finest Image as an alternative of “La La Land.”
Hughes and her coach referred to as for a rematch and stated they’d protest the end result. Johnson acknowledged the dangerous place for Hughes, however stated that Hennessey’s mistake didn’t undercut her victory.
“I do really feel for her, however for me, I consider I gained that battle,” Johnson stated.
(Photograph of Nina Hughes: James Likelihood / Getty Pictures)
