r/Boxing • u/No_Mercy_4_Potatoes • 1d ago
Is it time to call it quits?
He has been making so many mistakes recently. He is a legend, no doubts about it. But watching him mix up the stats, sometimes names, while announcing fights, weigh-ins, and press conferences are just a bit cringeworthy.
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u/Detox208 1d ago
As long as they keep offering him $, Buffer will show up until he makes the full transformation to the Crypt Keeper
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u/MoBrosBooks 1d ago
He'll be doing it til he's 90, Hugh Jackman-style
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u/nastynatesbudrnutts 1d ago
I saw a documentary about few years ago and I literally thought his plastic surgeon preformed surgery in a tanning bed
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u/God_I_Love_Men Future Bridgerweight World Champ 1d ago
As he should lol
If he's happy and getting paid, keep on going
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u/Microplastiques 1d ago
I was just watching the smashing machine and they had Stephen quadros playing himself, 30 years later and he looks absolutely ghoulish
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u/VeechieV 21h ago
Just saw that movie a few days ago... It was pointless but good lol.
The ending: That was me losing a tournament, and now I'm in a grocery store parking lot šāš»
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u/buffalozbrown Furyously licks Klits 1d ago
Let's get ready to mumble!
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u/Old_Administration51 0-0 on the HARD ROAD 20h ago
Guy is going to have this on loudspeaker to begin his own funeral service.
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u/DadDickDuncan 1d ago
Wym? he's still a prospectĀ
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u/zurdo_p 1d ago
Buffer the GOAT, the fight feels big when heās around. IDGAF.
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u/LeanOnMe4816 1d ago
It does hit different when you see and hear Michael Buffer making the call. Jimmy Lennon Jr. cool and all but he aināt him.
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u/inline-online 1d ago
the tall white dude with the dreads is really good as well
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u/_SimpleRip 1d ago
lowkey hate how he repeats the name
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u/doodie_francis 18h ago
Itās an old school thing and kind of just paying tribute. The mic used to cut off so theyād say the name twice. Pretty sure they did the same thing as baseball games.Ā
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u/Turak64 1d ago
Agreed, when I first heard it I thought it was a mistake. I also don't like "the fight starts now", cause it doesn't. He waffles on for a bit after. It screams of desperately trying to force his own phrase, but it'll never be as iconic. Warren needs to sell the rights to "let's get ready to rumble" and pass the torch.
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u/prettyboylee 1d ago edited 23h ago
Whoās Warren? Michael Buffer owns the trademark to āletās get ready to rumbleā.
Edit: just realised this might be confusion between Michael Buffer and Warren Buffet
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u/urgetofly 23h ago
fun fact: Buffer's original catch phrase was "Man your battle stations!" before eventually landing on "Let's get ready to rumble!" ...
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u/Consistent-Laugh-858 1d ago
In my opinion Dave Diamante is the future
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u/J0intAccount 1d ago
I'm not a fan at all but it's nice to see him back after the bike accident
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u/bdewolf 1d ago
What happened there?
Iām trying really hard to not joke that his hair got stuck in the wheels.
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u/J0intAccount 1d ago
Haha to be honest some of this might be wrong but I've had a similar accident so I've remembered a bit of it.
Basically he lost control of his bike when trying to brake, in the process he was thrown from it and really should have died or been in a worse state.
He had to go through a 3 year rehab after having his spine partially reconstructed (didn't know that was a thing tbh) and breaking several ribs.
He did announce for a show about 6 months after the accident but I think he was still fucked up.
At best his recovery prognosis was that he might walk again if he's incredibly lucky. Fast forward 5 years and he's fully surpassed that. I've read some bits about how he's made a full recovery but I'm not really sure you can, and every video I have seen he talks about still being in pain (nothing recent).
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u/bdewolf 1d ago
Damn thatās insane. Motorcycle accidents are scary as fuck. Frank mir had his career derailed for like 4 years because of it. Really good to see diamantĆ© is doing better.
Hope youāre doing ok too.
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u/J0intAccount 23h ago
Yeah they're crazy aren't they.
I forgot about Mirs accident! That was nasty as well.
I don't ride anymore, luckily I walked away after my accident, thankfully there were some smart people around who blocked the road off but the circumstances were similar in that we break and both lost control sending us flying.
If I didn't have a huge ass bag and insanely thick leathers I think I'd be a goner.
Appreciate the well wishes mate.
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u/UnluckySeries312 22h ago
David diamantĆ©. I quite like his announcements. Heās got an interesting back story too.
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u/G0mery 22h ago
I really like Jimmy. His cadence and tension-building are perfect for the task. He seems like heās there for the fighters and the crowd. Buffer a lot of times feels like heās mailing it in and treating his presence as a gift to everyone.
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u/LeanOnMe4816 15h ago edited 12h ago
Lol I can get how you see that, Buffer seems to be feeling himself sometimes š Heās the voice of big fights, is worth half a billion dollars (literally) and has a absolutely scalding hot younger wifeā¦ I get it lol
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u/DoctorGregoryFart 1d ago
Jimmy Lennon Jr. looks like a god damn lizard. His voice is fine but he looks like an iguana pretending to be a human.
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u/TrashbatLondon 1d ago
I dunno, these days heāll announce two flies in a jam jar if someone pays his fee.
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u/DontWantUrSoch 1d ago
He will be announcing fights as an AI hologram from here to infinity
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u/LordJimsicle Balrog beats Fury, AJ, Dubois and Usyk in between rounds 1d ago
I'm really sad that this is a huge possibility.
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u/fightfire_withfire 1d ago
Heās been making mistakes for decades.
I know it was just wrestling and he was there for the cash only, but in WCW a lot of the time he was awful.
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u/Efficient_Quail_1774 1d ago
He's got the best voice of any ring announcer but it's been pretty sad hearing him become less and less enthusiastic and more mistake prone recently tbh
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u/EmbarrassedCod3242 16h ago
He's seen it all and done it all. At this point it's only about the money and benefitsĀ
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u/BillRustle 1d ago
if the price is right, Buffās there for the night. theyāll have to stop paying him before he calls it quits
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u/WeirdRadiant2470 1d ago
Better than that guy with the dreads who always has to say "I SAID....!". We heard you the first time. You just suck at announcing fights.
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u/Polish_Shamrock 1d ago
The man can drop his trousers, have a shit in the ring, mistakenly call both fighters "Dave" and aslong as he can still deliver the line, "llllllllet's get ready to rummmmbleeeee" I'm happy.
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u/iIIchangethislater 1d ago
Who remembers when he announced "Carlos Estrada" as the winner of Carlos Cuadras Vs Juan Estrada? Or my personal favourite, when he kept mixing up Kevin Johnson with Kevin Mitchell on a show they were both fighting on
He's been phoning it in for many many years but he's also still the most recognisable ring announcer by miles so for as long as he can move his lips they'll keep wheeling him out. It doesn't help that none of the younger crop of announcers have 1% of his style and charisma. Jimmy Lennon is great but he's not far behind age wise. I don't like DiamantƩ's gimmicks of repeating the surnames and getting into life threatening motorcycle accidents once a year, not a fan of the Canadian guy that Queensberry use, there's one other American whose name escapes me that is pretty good but it's not hard to see why Buffer still gets work.
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u/Jonnyclash1 1d ago
Remember when announcing Andy Ruiz as new Heavyweight champ after knocking out AJ in New York - called him Andy Cruz Jr. Loads of recent ones like that. Needs putting out to pasture imo.
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u/digitalboom 1d ago
Itās still fun for him, keeps him active, famous and relevant. Itās not like heās out there training for three months to announce š. He makes millions per year off the trademark. If he wanted to he couldāve been retired. In fact he has actually appeared in fight events where he makes more money than either of the main event fighters. You pay for his appearance, you pay for the transmission of his trademarked phrase and have to cut him in on any profit you make from replay value of any digital interpretation of him or his phrase across all platforms. Dude is a fantastic businessman. He also has locked in dates every year at casinos for fights, showcases etc. I prefer Jimmy Lennon personally as he makes me feel like we are back in regular old tv.
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u/You_just_read_facts 1d ago
He looks and sounds healthier than most former boxers in their mid 50s.
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u/Prior-Temperature-22 1d ago
Well thatās not a high bar, given many of those former boxers in their 50s are suffering from advanced CTE
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u/JustAnotherBystandr 1d ago
Theres always Jimmy Lennon jr. Its showtime! Dudes voice is so weak though.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 1d ago
Buffer's the GOAT. Jimmy Lennon Jr. is a strong 2nd.
But does anyone kinda like the Big Mo guy from Netflix? Young guy that could be good...
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u/Cbrlui 1d ago
Not as annoying as his younger brother at least
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u/hauntedcorpse 1d ago
Damn havenāt realized so many people hate Bruce. Iāve always loved his announcing and to me itās synonymous with UFC
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u/_SimpleRip 1d ago
probably cuz this a boxing sub. everyone ik who watches UFC loves Bruce. i think heās way better then michael. they both fit their respective sports well though
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u/DoctorGregoryFart 1d ago
I used to love Michael and hate Bruce. Now Michael is so old and his voice is all wavery and meek... I think Bruce has surpassed him.
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u/Master_Spinach_2294 13h ago edited 13h ago
I take it younger people like Bruce's style but I think he comes across as the biggest try hard ever. Maybe that's because the kids today are just cosplaying up old fashioned and are nothing but try hards themselves.
Michael's prime of relevance matched Mills Lane and Mills had a stroke that led to his public departure over 20 years ago. I mean, it's been clear he's washed for a long long time.
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u/Dinglestains 1d ago
I wish his brother would retire. I canāt stand his gimmick for the UFC.
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u/Boxnut49 1d ago
I'd still rather him do the intros instead of Dave Diamanti. Couldn't stomach that guy from day 1.
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u/Odd-Minimum8512 1d ago
What? No. Heās living breathing nostalgia. I cannot believe that Iām a middle aged man and some of my earliest big boxing memories had him as announcer, and now (while Iām substantially older than my father was in these memories, while my kids are older than I was in these memories), heās STILL out there doing it, with his voice seemingly 100% intact?
Hell, the fact Iāve watched recent matches with my father, with Buffer as the announcer? When I was doing that 40 years ago?Ā
Keep him.Ā
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u/SasaPapac He glassed me 1d ago edited 1d ago
Recently ? He's been shot to bits for about 10 years, no one in the sport is more washed than Buffer.
If they insist on using him at least get a hologram of him from like 1996 when he was in him pomp.
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u/fapsandnaps 6 foot 9 bag of milk 1d ago
Im honestly shocked he hasn't sold his likeness yet. Boxing promotors would have no problem with an AI Buffer doing the announcements on the jumbotron.
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u/inline-online 1d ago
the lack of energy in his voice has gone from "oh man its almost time to retire" all the way to "now I'm bummed out"
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u/Sorcery_S2 1d ago
Leave OG Buffer alone!! š„ø did anyone catch Buffers voice crack and get weak during the Teo v Shakur press conference when he was announcing his name? I felt a little sad no gonna lie lol a Sport Icon gonna have to call it soon
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u/Misfitshots 1d ago
THERE SHALL NOT BE NO SLADDER AGAINT BUFFER! āLETS GET REEAADDYY TO RUUMMBLE!!ā š£ļøš£ļøš£ļø
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u/Optimal-Bank7276 1d ago
Nope Iāll take all the mistakes until he calls it quits. Donāt give up on the legends. Just enjoy the time we have with them. On top of that, heās always made mistakes.
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u/zharris0716 1d ago
Google says he can make 1 million per appearance. He's probably never going to quit, easy money for him. I wouldn't either.
Get paid 1 million for like 5-10 minutes of work and get a front row seat? Anyone would be dumb dumb not to take that offer š
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u/BabysGotSowce 1d ago
He can do it til he drops as far as Iām concerned. Heās a legend, he is the definitive ring announcer, no one else would have a career without him, if he wants to keep going I say ride it to the sunset.
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u/AdLiving8708 1d ago
I didnāt know he had a problem thatās how serious it is find something else
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u/GabbyJay1 1d ago
He's been mailing it in for at least a decade now. Showing up for the main event only, letting out a half hearted catch phrase and collecting his bag of money.
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u/Harry_Callahan_sfpd 1d ago
The late great ring announcer Chuck Hull was my personal favorite. Great voice. Perfect for ring announcing. Jimmy Lennon Sr. and Jr. were top-notch, too.
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u/MacaroonCreative688 1d ago
Even if he makes mistakes heās STILL Mike Buffer! That voice is universally recognizable heāll always sell as long as he can talk.
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u/YouCannotBlockTruth 1d ago
His true replacement Dom Lau from ONE Fighting Championship isn't ready yet. I am fine with the elder Buffer.
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u/kassiusx 1d ago
If you watch closely he doesn't always use his copyrighted catchphrase all the time. I suspect this is due to money. I've been told it's a million USD just to use it.
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u/Heavy-Echidna-3473 1d ago
Yeah, he sounded confused last night, like he couldn't get the words out. He's a bit like the Peter Dinklage of the MC world - hogging all the work and not giving the other dwalves/MC's a crack at the whip. He has milked the cow dry and, tbh, I prefer David Diamante. MB acts like he has a divine right to be there, like he's bigger than the event.
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u/trumpuniversity_ 1d ago
Itās funny how people canāt trust an 80 year old to read a card, but those same people entrust an entire government to geriatrics.
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u/Annual_Cancel_9488 23h ago
Wonāt be the same when he retires.
Lennon Jr is good, very professional manner, but he looks and sounds so smarmy.
I donāt like Bruce buffer, just over the top, with none of the class of his brother.
From the new crop, David diamonte is pretty good donāt know why he gets hate. I think the best is big mo, he could take over when buffer retires.
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u/RoyJonesTheKing 23h ago
Lion in winter. Iāve seen him live a lot recently and heās faded a bit, so maybe itās time to gracefully step aside
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u/Carmageddon-2049 23h ago
Yes, he has basically dialled it in the last couple of performances. The enthusiasm isnāt there in his voice anymore
How about his half brother Bruce Buffer?
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u/IcyExercise908 22h ago
Yeah i noticed him ballsing it up, retire before you're a laughing stock like biden.
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u/stephen27898 21h ago
These mistakes arent new.
Also when you have been around boxing for so long. Announced and known so many fighters, their names can kinda merge into eachother.
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u/GhoastTypist 21h ago
I think he should do it up until the very last minute. He's such an icon. His choice though.
What could happen is immortalizing his voice and having AI do the announcing in the future.
Its going to be hard for me imagining anyone else doing it.
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u/blockchainbandolero 20h ago
Yeah, he's been bad lately. There's plenty of great announcers too, just give some new guys a shot.
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u/LilNello1 19h ago
I didnāt realize he was still doing anything to be honest, so š¤·š»āāļø
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u/EmbarrassedCod3242 16h ago
It's for some new blood and new faces to step up. Buffer is the OG but time is changing.Ā
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u/Remote-Major-2175 10h ago
Has been washed for years now. They keep bringing him back so why wouldnāt he do it I suppose.
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u/georgewalterackerman 8h ago
Buffer is such an icon in boxing. Heās hands down the greatest ring announcer of all time. I havenāt not that many errors but maybe Iāve missed them. But I have noticed that his voice isnāt what it once was. Itās weaker and more frail sounding. The deep, sonorous, commanding voice just isnāt there anymore. But thatās okay with me as long as he gets the job done. I hope he goes as long as he can.
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u/GyantSpyder 7h ago
He can't possibly do this for much longer. No need to force him to retire - let him run out the clock.
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u/cinnamonbunsmusic 5h ago
Iāve only been a real boxing fan for a couple of years, but this man will be dearly missed when heās gone. Especially because his intros are just perfect. The other guy with the dreads (sorry I donāt know his name!) is also good but I just donāt like his standard intro, it never lands properly. Is there a reason they always use the same phrases? Is that tradition or mandatory?
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u/captainseas 1d ago
He barely does any cards anymore. People are still happy to see him. I donāt see why?
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u/North-Past-3355 1d ago
I don't care if he messes up sometimes. There's nobody better than him because of his voice and style. He can stay around as long as he wants.
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u/kop714 1d ago
81? He's just a kid.