Pacquiao-Larios Fight: The Men Behind the Scene- Part 2
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 08 Jul 2006
After the usual hustles fighting the hopeless freeway traffic jams in Los Angeles, going through the tough LAX baggage security screening and navigating around the hundreds of balikbayan boxes and assorted baggage?s that almost fill the corridors of the cavernous LAX airport, I finally reached the long lines at the PAL ticket counter for my flight to Manila to see the big fight. As soon as I got my seat assignment, I proceeded to the PAL Mabuhay Lounge to wait for my flight.
Entering the lounge, I noticed that it was unusually full owing to the fact that there where people waiting for either one of the two PAL flights scheduled for Manila that night. . The only space I saw that was available was at a round table with four chairs one of which was occupied by a lone male with platinum white hair. He had his back on me. I decided to take the seat and much to my surprise, the man was no other than Michael Buffer, the world famous ring announcer. My instant gut reaction was to say: ?Hey, it?s the ?let?s get ready to rumble? man. His reaction was a great big friendly smile.
Michael Buffer on the phone during the Pacquiao-Larios Weight- in at Discovery Suites
After introducing myself, I engaged him in conversation that has a hall mark of the traditional ?Filipino ambush interview?. I found out that he will be visiting the Philippines for the first time and he is so excited about it particularly because he has a Filipina girl friend who is a tremendous Paquiao fan. And, he wanted to see for himself why Pacquiao was literally God-like to his fanatic fans.
Michael Buffer who coined the now famous cry: ?Let?s get ready to rumble? was raise in Philadelphia. He was a boxing fan since his younger days. In fact, in the 70?s and 80?s he used to take two hour commutes to Atlantic City to see the fights held at the many hotel-casinos that lined the world famous
Boardwalk.
I asked him how he got started as a ring announcer. His reply was during those days, announcers come from the city and area where fights were held. Therefore, if the fight was in LA , the late Jimmy Lennon was the man. If it was somewhere else, it's another person. No single person is recognized nationally as the ?voice? in boxing matches. Having confidence in what he can do, he asked for a job as a fight announcer, in one of the many weekend fights at Atlantic City. He knew fully well that he can give the job a little bit of a twist and make people identify with him and his style of announcing. True enough, the people with Donald Trump, the owner of the famous Trump Towers recognized his talent, particularly his manly voice that befit a fight scene.
They hired him.
Then came the job offer from Bob Arum, the famous promoter from Las Vegas. It was in this city that Buffer eventually coined the phrase ? Let?s get ready to rumble? as a prelude to the introduction of main event boxers. Of course the rest is history. Buffer is now the most sought-after ring announcer in the whole of the USA. Anywhere a big fight occurs, it would not be complete without hearing Buffer do his patented cry: ?Let?s get ready to rumble?. It is for this reason that Buffer was hired to grace the Pacquiao-Larios fight and do the honors of introducing the main event boxers, Pacquiao and Larios and entice excitement in the crowd with his signature call. True to form, that is exactly what Buffer did at the fight.
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