After making my notes in the afternoon, I usually visit the fighters in their dressing rooms before they go out. I check what colour trunks they'll be wearing and sometimes the pronunciation of their names, particularly if they're from eastern Europe or Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia. I'll make sure I write those out phonetically.

Michael Buffer

I used to watch old clips of Muhammad Ali, where he'd be talking the jive during interviews, you know, 'Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, rumble, man, rumble.'

Michael Buffer

I didn't see conflict during the Vietnam War, but I did lose close friends.

Michael Buffer

I was watching fights on TV one day with my oldest son and we watched a ring announcer announce a split decision where he gave the winning scores first, so he took away the drama. So my son said: 'Dad you could do that,' and the light went off in my head and I decided to contact promoters and got my foot in the door.

Michael Buffer

I've met kids right out of the Olympics who tell me they can't wait to be introduced by me. After a fight, fighters say, 'Being introduced by you, what a thrill.' That's probably the best compliment I can get.

Michael Buffer

I have the power to control the crowd's emotions.

Michael Buffer

I was pretty dreadful on my first night as an announcer as back in those days the scorecards were written in a very strange way so that didn't help and some of the fighter's names were unpronounceable.

Michael Buffer

I always loved Evander Holyfield because people think of him as a small heavyweight, but of course from the waist up he was a pretty good-sized guy, but he just had these little skinny legs and no booty and it made him look like he was small.

Michael Buffer

The great Muhammad Ali used to have that phrase where he would say: 'Rumble young man, rumble' and 'I'm so pretty I'm ready to rumble.' I kind of just fine tuned it to 'Let's get ready to rumble.'

Michael Buffer

I've done quite a few gigs for the military. Some of them had to be kept under the wire. I'm a three year Army veteran myself, and I'm always available to do stuff like that. I've even done some things for the British military, too.

Michael Buffer

I remember a show in New Jersey several years ago when a big fight broke out in the crowd. I took the microphone and introduced Frank Sinatra. He wasn't there, but even the guys creating the disturbance stopped to look.

Michael Buffer

I'm actually a survivor of throat cancer so I'm very, very careful with my voice.

Michael Buffer

If you were to make a commercial, or do a magazine ad that says 'let's get ready to rumble' to draw attention to your product, you've stolen my property.

Michael Buffer

The heavyweight division is the division that historically always drives boxing. It's the flagship. That's because even if a guy is a big underdog, one punch turns everything around.

Michael Buffer

A throat-coating tea with some honey is very soothing for my throat, so I always travel with that.

Michael Buffer

Mike Tyson as a kid was a mark, he loved wrestling. So that was something he loved to do when he had the opportunity to participate.

Michael Buffer

I looked at motor racing in America where at the Indy 500 the drivers are told 'gentlemen start your engines' and the crowd go wild because they know the race is about to start. I needed a hook and came up with 'let's get ready to rumble.'

Michael Buffer

A lot of times you go to a fight and the crowd will be for a certain fighter who is the favourite but if the underdog shows he has a chance they sometimes even swing to side of the underdog.

Michael Buffer

I have done a lot of NFL games, a season-opening home games, playoff games, championship games, and of course Stanley Cup games, World Series, NBA championship games. But I have never done a Superbowl. It's probably the only major sporting event I've never done and I would like to.

Michael Buffer

I know this: Jerry Jones is unique, he's as cool as James Bond and he has a command of his business. He can step into any arena and succeed.

Michael Buffer

I do a lot of fights in the U.K., and the fans there, I have to admit probably, are the best in the world because they support their fighters.

Michael Buffer