The boxing world was shocked and amused today when the reigning heavyweight champion, Mike “The Hammer” Johnson, lost his title after forgetting to wear gloves for his fight against the challenger, Tony “The Tiger” Smith.
Johnson, who has a record of 25 wins and no losses, was widely expected to defeat Smith, who has a record of 15 wins and 10 losses. However, Johnson made a fatal mistake when he entered the ring without wearing any gloves, exposing his bare fists to the audience and the referee.
“I don’t know what happened,” Johnson said after the fight. “I was so focused on the fight that I forgot to put on my gloves. I realized it too late, when I was already in the ring. I thought maybe I could still fight, but the referee stopped me and disqualified me.”
The referee said that he had no choice but to disqualify Johnson for violating the rules of boxing. “It’s a basic rule that you have to wear gloves for a boxing match,” he said. “It’s for your own safety and your opponent’s safety. You can’t punch someone with your bare hands, that’s illegal and dangerous.”
Smith, who was surprised and delighted by Johnson’s blunder, said that he was ready to fight him with or without gloves, but he respected the referee’s decision. “I was prepared for a tough fight, but I didn’t expect him to show up without gloves,” he said. “I guess he was too confident or too careless. I don’t care, I’ll take the win and the title.”
The boxing fans, who paid hundreds of dollars for their tickets, were outraged and disappointed by Johnson’s mistake. They booed and jeered at him as he left the ring, some of them throwing popcorn and soda cans at him. “This is ridiculous,” one fan said. “I came here to see a fight, not a comedy show. How can you forget to wear gloves? That’s like forgetting to wear pants.”
Johnson said that he regrets his mistake and that he hopes to get another chance to fight Smith and reclaim his title. “I’m sorry for letting down my fans and myself,” he said. “It was a stupid mistake that cost me everything. I hope Smith will give me a rematch and let me prove myself. I promise I won’t forget my gloves next time.”