Boxing was mostly, only admired for setting two adults up to punch and knock themselves out until Michael Buffer came along and made a big deal out of being a ring announcer in the combat sport. The Pennsylvanian native set the boxing world on fire as a result of his unique ability at announcing boxing matches as well as his knack for coining really popular catchphrases. Since he made his debut as a ring announcer for ESPN, he has risen to heights he never thought possible. Learn more about Michael Buffer and his exceptional rise to stardom.
Michael Buffer Age, Early Life, and Rise to Fame
Michael Buffer is a famous ring announcer, for wrestling and boxing matches. In a bid to know who Michael Buffer really is, it’s best to start from his very beginning. He was born on November 2, 1944, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Not much is known about his early childhood, except the fact that he was birthed during World War II while his dad was actively serving in the United States Navy.
Barely eleven months after his birth, his parents decided to abandon their marriage with his mom carting him off to foster care. As a result of that, he grew up in really harsh conditions in the Suburb of Roslyn, Philadelphia. Besides that, there is literally nothing known about his life until the age of 20, when he decided to enlist in the United States Army, with him going on to serve in the Vietnam War until he turned 23. Upon leaving the army, he found a job as a car salesman – a job which he held for several years but never got the hang of it.
His career as a ring announcer started in 1982 when his eldest son suggested he go into it after watching a fight between two boxers at a casino in Atlantic City. Deciding to give it a try, he embellished his resume to look as though he had previous experience before applying for the job of rank boxing announcer at ESPN. As luck would have it, he was given the job, but he found it hard to adapt for the first few months.
But in 1983, barely a year of being a ring announcer, he had already become really popular around the country for his style of announcing all ESPN boxing matches promoted by Bob Arum. His popularity grew when he started coining catchphrases like “let’s get ready to rumble”. The phrase became so popular he obtained a federal trademark for it in 1992. The following year, his talents caught the eyes of billionaire Donald Trump who employed him as the exclusive ring announcer for all bouts in his casino.
Within the period of 1988 to 2001, he was the official ring lead announcer for the defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 2007, he was diagnosed with throat cancer and had to take some time off announcing, he eventually made his comeback later that year. Since then, he’s announced several boxing matches such as the fight of the century – Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao and the money match – Mayweather Vs. McGregor. He has also announced several NBA and college basketball games, as well as appearing on CREED as a ring announcer.
How Rich Is Michael Buffer, What Is His Salary?
It is believed that Michael Buffer pockets a total of $3.2 million per boxing announcement. If that’s hard to believe, check this out – after making his popular catchphrase let’s get ready to rumble a trademark in 1992, he has gone all the way to earn a whopping $250 million from trademark licensing alone. That being said, Michael Buffer’s net worth is pegged at an estimated $400 million.
Who Is The Wife – Christine Prado?
Christine Prado is the wife of the famous ring announcer. Michael Buffer met her during a social gathering in 2003 and they started dating shortly after that. On the 13th of September 2007, he got on his knees and asked her to marry him while making an appearance on the live show, Tonight Show with Jay Leno. As expected, she said yes.
The following year, they tied the knot in a private wedding ceremony attended by family and close friends only. It’s important to note that this is Buffer’s third marriage as he was previously married to a lady with whom he had two children. The union lasted from 1965 to 1972. His second marriage was to Elina Ehefrau; it kicked off in 1999 and collapsed in 2003.
