The US boxing ring announcer who announced the wrong winner after a title fight last weekend has resigned.
After a boxing match between Cherneka Johnson and Nina Hughes in Australia on Saturday night, announcer Dan Hennessey read the judge's scorecards and incorrectly declared Hughes the winner of the WBA bantamweight title.
The negative reaction that followed on social media was too much to handle, Hennessey revealed.
“Thank you everyone for your kind words. Unfortunately, the worldwide reaction is absolutely incredible and it is affecting my mental health to such an extent that I will have one more show forever,” he wrote on Facebook. “I'm doing this show because I'm always a man of my word… I love and will stay in touch with all my friends around the world. Thank you. I'm not the punching bag of the world anymore. I'm okay with that go.”
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Hennessey read the judge's scorecards and incorrectly declared Nina Hughes the winner of the WBA bantamweight title. (George Tewkesbury/PA Images via Getty Images)
The resignation comes after Saturday's controversy shocked the boxing world.
ESPN's Joe Tessitore criticized Hennessey over the controversy.
“I want to clean up what we saw with this absolute clown show, this garbage amateur hour that we saw with the ring announcer a few moments ago,” he said.
On Saturday, Johnson and Hughes went the distance and the fight came down to the judges' decision.
Both fighters thought they had won the contest and were anxiously waiting to find out how the judges scored it.
On the other hand, Cherneka Johnson was euphoric to learn that she had actually won. (Warren Petit/Getty Images)
The fighters joined Hennessey and the referee in the middle of the ring and Hennessey initially announced that Hughes was the winner of the fight.
The enthusiastic boxer began to celebrate, but then the mistake was noticed.
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The fighters were called back to the middle of the ring and Hennessey corrected himself, revealing that Johnson had won by split decision.
From triumphant to defeated, Hughes was forced to go from being told she was the champion to being told she had suffered the first loss of her professional career.
“I just don't understand,” Hughes said after the drama, via Sky Sports. “How can they announce I won and then change the scores? I thought I dominated at first. I thought she won a few later rounds, but I felt like I won comfortably.”
She added: “I don't understand how you can announce the winner and then change the scores. It's a joke. I feel like a lot of time was stolen from me. There has to be a rematch .I didn't lose this fight.”
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On the other hand, Johnson was euphoric to learn that she had actually won.
“I'm not the judge and I'm just happy they made the wrong decision,” Johnson said. “Nina was a tough fight. I'm not the judges, but I definitely think I won this fight. I'm just over the moon that I won this fight.”
Dan Hennessey read the judge's scorecards and incorrectly declared Hughes to be the winner of the WBA bantamweight title. The negative reaction that followed on social media was too much to handle. (AdobeStock)
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After the initial drama, Hennessey apologized on Facebook.
“I own it. It's all on me. I take full responsibility for the Chernika Johnson vs. Nina Hughes controversy,” he wrote. “Not the judges, nor the sanctioned body. Me.”
He added: “I apologized to everyone involved and now I apologize to you. I'm sorry for what happened. Again, I own it and I can't try to do better next time. It's not my best day at the office.”
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and Reuters contributed to this report.