Ring announcer's massive blunder goes viral... incorrectly calls winner twice
If you’re ever having a bad day at work, just remember that it could be a whole lot worse.
Because no amount of being called out by the boss for getting the debits and the credits crossed up on the daily ledger could possibly compare to the mistake that the ring announcer at a UFC event in Alaska made Wednesday night.
The announcer gave the wrong name of the winner in the Elijah Terrell vs. David Booker contest, possessed by the same spirit that fouled up Steve Harvey’s day at the Miss Universe pageant a couple of years back.
Even wilder, the announcer was right, then he got it wrong, then he got it correct in the end, as the audience booed heartily in the sort of way that accompanies gross public incompetence.
Booker won the fight on the judges’ cards, but the way the confusion developed was classic.
First, the announcer said, “Your winner, David the Co — my bad, excuse me, Elijah ‘Young Snipes’ Terrell!”
Then, after a brief pause, things got worse.
“My bad, I called it wrong,” the announcer said, as the look on Terrell’s face went from happiness to “Tim Duncan staring down a referee after a foul.”
“I got the scores right, I got the winner — wrong,” said the announcer, the brief dramatic pause between “winner” and “wrong” punctuating the absurdity of the moment.
Finally, on the second take, the announcer correctly announced the score, “29-28, 29-28, 30-27 for your winner, David ‘The Coffee Boss’ Booker!”
Whether this gaffe does in the announcer’s career is still an open question at this point. A small-time guy who screws up this badly and this publicly might have a hard time finding work.
But then again, even the very best can have a bad day.
At UFC 205, voice of the sport (and brother of boxing’s Michael) Bruce Buffer called the wrong result in the Tyron Woodley-Stephen Thompson fight.
Woodley won the fight on one judge’s card; on the other two, the fight was even.
Buffer called it a split decision win initially, and Woodley celebrated his victory, but they had to call the fighters back to their places as Buffer corrected his initial error.
See, if two judges call a fight even and the third declares a winner, that’s not a split decision; it’s a majority draw.
So maybe this isn’t the end of the world for the poor beleaguered fellow in Alaska.
But if you ever find yourself beating yourself up over making a mistake at work, just remember: It could have been a whole lot worse.
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