Legendary fight ring announcer Michael Buffer: I hear my voice and I cringe
Legendary boxing and wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, known for one of the most famous catch phrases, said his signature expression was his best decision ever.
When the FOX Business host Stuart Varney asked him about reports of earning $400 million over the expression, he said, “you can’t believe everything you hear on the Internet.”
“Four hundred million is not the number,” Buffer told Varney. “I wish that would be wonderful… [the number is] a lot less.”
So Varney pressed a little more.
“What is the number,” asked Varney.
“A lot less,” replied Buffer.
Buffer said his signature catchphrase first started 37 years ago to hype up the crowd.
“There was this thing where ring announcers were introducing all of their buddies on the commission… and after the fighters for the main event would come to the ring and it’s exciting, it’s electric and you kill the crowd by introducing commissioners, doctors and judges and referees,” he explained. “So I wanted that start your engines moment where they go crazy—the race is going to begin. And I wanted to bring it back to the fighters—they are the stars of the show.”
The hype-man has become one of the most recognizable voices in professional sports, but even after decades, he’s become his own worst critic.
“I hear my voice and I cringe, I kind of hear Philadelphia in there, my hometown,” he joked.
Buffer will announce the debut of the undefeated heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
And when it comes to the greatest boxing moment of his career—the winner is:
“When George Foreman captured the heavyweight championship against Michael Moorer.”