"I'm out" - Ring announcer who fumbled Nina Hughes vs. Charneka Johnson fight result blames fan backlash for mental health struggles

Cherneka Johnson rightfully claimed the WBA bantamweight title on Sunday night in Perth, Australia, defeating Nina Hughes via a majority decision. However, the post-fight celebration was marred by a major blunder from ring announcer Dan Hennessey, a former US Marine.

Hennessey's error caused significant confusion. He misread the scorecards and declared Hughes the victor, prompting a premature celebration from the 41-year-old fighter.

Fortunately, Hennessey swiftly corrected himself, announcing Johnson as the true winner. Despite the rectification, the incident left everyone involved bewildered.

Check out the Nina Hughes vs. Charneka Johnson post-fight blunder below:

In the aftermath, Hennessey faced a wave of online criticism. Taking to his Facebook page, the announcer addressed the situation:

"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. 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"

Check out his post below:

---

Nina Hughes fumes after announcer blunder and controversial scorecard cost her title

Nina Hughes expressed frustration after a controversial points defeat to Cherneka Johnson in their WBA bantamweight title fight. While the post-fight blunder created confusion, however, according to Huges, it was compounded by a scorecard from a judge that awarded Johnson a decisive 98-92 victory.

Speaking to The Guardian recently, the former champ had this to say about the entire incident:

“I do wonder if he got it the wrong way round because looking at his scorecard, he has me losing the first three whereas I thought I quite clearly won them. And I thought I might have lost the fourth round, and he had me winning it which is a bit odd.”

While acknowledging the risk of fighting in Johnson's home country, Hughes remained upset at the outcome:

“I am still angry. We knew it was a risk going to Australia but I just believed in my ability to beat her. All I wanted was for it to be a fair playing field and unfortunately I didn’t feel like I got that. It happens in all levels of boxing but it’s just when you’ve worked so hard to get your world title, to lose it in this way is obviously devastating.”