Announcer Declares The Wrong Winner After The Women's Bantamweight Title Fight, Crowd Left Stunned

The only thing more chaotic than the 10-round fight for the World Boxing Association (WBA) women’s bantamweight title was the announcement of who won the whole thing.

Cherneka Johnson and Nina Hughes dueled for their division’s ultimate title in Perth, Western Australia, on Saturday. After the brawl reached its final round, both combatants were still standing, meaning that the three judges on hand had to provide their scores for the fight to see who won.

Nina Hughes (seen here celebrating her WBA Bantamweight World Title fight victory over Katie Healy in 2023), thought she had won again in Australia. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't the case. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Initially, two judges ruled in Hughes’ favor with scores of 98-92 and 96-94, with the final judge ruling the fight a draw. As such, the announcer told the crowd that Hughes had won the fight and determined she had defended her title.

However, the referee was just about to lift Johnson’s hand after the announcer did his thing. He looked utterly shocked that Hughes was declared the winner.

Evidently, that was a foreshadowing of what would happen just seconds later.

After Hughes started celebrating, the announcer got the crowd’s attention again and had to deliver what was likely the most awkward correction of his life. Not only had the wrong scorecards been read, they had announced the wrong winner.

Johnson had indeed won the fight (meaning the official was correct in his assumption the first time), and the crowd and fighters were in disbelief.

Because the fight was so close, both combatants felt like they had won, and Hughes was understandably upset.

"It’s a joke," Hughes said. "I feel like I’ve been robbed big time. There’s got to be a rematch. I didn’t lose that fight. How can they announce I had won and then change the scores? I thought I’d dominated early. I thought she won a few of the later rounds but I felt like I won it comfortably."

Johnson on the other hand felt like the correction was justified.

"I’m not the judge, and I’m just glad that they figured out the wrong decision. Nina was a tough fight, but I definitely think I won," she said.

Regardless, that’s a tough pill to swallow for Hughes. She probably got more whiplash from that botched announcement than any punch she sustained from Johnson.