The mishap of Faye Dunaway announcing the wrong Best Picture winner at the 2017 Academy Awards, similar to Steve Harvey’s error at the 2017 Miss Universe Pageant, has found its echo in the world of boxing thanks to Lt. Dan Hennessey.
During a recent match where challenger Cherneka Johnson triumphed over champion Nina Hughes to clinch the WBA bantamweight championship, the correct result was eventually confirmed.
However, not before Hennessey, the ring announcer, made a glaring mistake. In a role where accuracy is paramount, Hennessey initially declared Hughes the winner by majority decision, causing confusion. The referee, who believed Johnson had won, hesitated during the announcement. Hennessey had to correct himself shortly after, gathering the fighters again to rightfully declare Johnson the winner.
This blunder did not go unnoticed by ESPN commentators Joe Tessitore and Tim Bradley, who were quick to criticize Hennessey’s performance.
“Is this guy for real? Is this guy, Lt. Dan Hennessey, for real?” Tessitore questioned incredulously.
“Get this dude out of here,” Bradley remarked, unable to hold back laughter.
“What are we doing?” both commentators lamented, highlighting the deviation from the standard protocol in announcing fight scores.
Tessitore, still baffled, wished for a replacement: “Can somebody please bring in Mark Shunock, Jimmy Lennon, Michael Buffer, anybody but Lt. Dan Hennessey in this spot right now?”
