Michael Buffer, the man who changed boxing

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(Edited)

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Inquirer

It is impossible to think of making a high-class fight without his presence in the ring, although his participation is brief, just a couple of minutes, only that is enough to ignite the stands with his legendary phrase: "ladies and gentleman let's get ready for rumble", indisputable indicator that the show is about to begin.

Since 1984 Michael Buffer, the most famous boxing announcer in history, has managed to build his career by bringing elegance, charisma and voice to the main boxing fights, where the presence of this Philadelphia-born man means that the bout we will witness will be of high class.

Buffer was encouraged to make a name for himself in the boxing world when he and his eldest son were watching a fight that ended in a split decision. According to Buffer, the announcer failed to add the touch of drama that would have reflected what happened in the ring when he heard the score on the scorecard that determined the winner. Immediately his son told him: "Dad, you could do it", since then he has delighted us with his presence announcing the pugilists.

But his famous phrase is not his own, nor did he say it from the first day of work, but two years later, precisely when he remembered some words of encouragement that the legendary Muhammad Ali repeated to himself before stepping into the ring: "I'm ready to rumble". Just as the greatest of them all did not let himself down, Buffer made this famous mantra the meaning of boxing.

His name was quickly engraved in the memory of those involved in the big fights, to the point of making his phrase a trademark that pointed to the magnitude of what was to unfold in the ring. In this way he built a name in the world of pugilism, despite the fact that his participation in the confrontation is limited to a few minutes before the fight and when it ends his presence is synonymous with quality.

And of course his brief but powerful participation in the ring must be well paid for. According to Bruce Buffer, Michael's brother and manager, having the services of the famous announcer costs between $15,000 and $30,000. It could be said that it is a lot of money for such a short job, but in the boxing world the show makes the difference and Buffer is that spice that gives flavor to the big nights in Las Vegas or wherever a fight is described as a "big fight".

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