Iconic master of ceremonies Michael Buffer has reportedly been hired to announce the players entering the pitch ahead of Chelsea’s Club World Cup semi-final clash against Fluminense on Tuesday.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea side have the chance to set up a final against Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid on Sunday, although as Inter and Al Hilal recently found out, the Brazilian side are no mugs.
At the start of all Club World Cup fixtures, the players’ names have been announced before they enter the field of play, something which will continue on Tuesday.
However, according to the Mail, FIFA has hired Buffer, 80, who is best known for previously announcing some of the biggest boxing matches of all time.
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According to Yahoo, Buffer trademarked his iconic “Let’s get ready to rumble” phrase back in 1992.
The report also suggests that the 80-year-old earns between $25,000 (£18.8k) and $100,000 (£75k) every time he says the phrase at appearances, taking his reported net worth to $400m as per Celebrity Net Worth.
The Philadelphia-born announcer previously admitted that he thought he’d have retired by 2018, but then he penned a lucrative deal with streaming platform DAZN, although financial details were never released
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Buffer previously worked as a model, car salesman and served during the Vietnam War. And his son was the reason he started announcing fighters.
“I was born and raised in Philadelphia,” Buffer told USA TODAY via ForTheWin.
“When the casino industry started in Atlantic City, which was just a little over an hour away, they started to have a ton of boxing. My oldest son, at the time, we were watching a fight, and the ring announcer gave a split decision.
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“After the second score, you knew who won the fight, it didn't have that drama. My son said, 'Dad, you could do that.'
"Being a fan, I thought that would be a great way to get a good seat. I got my foot in the door, and at that time in 1982, Top Rank Boxing on ESPN was their No. 1 show, and they'd rebroadcast it six or seven times a week. That became a lot of exposure, and everything took off.”
When asked whether he ‘faked’ his experience at the start, he added: “I embellished it, so to speak, that I had experience with public address and radio, which I didn't. I was pretty dreadful the first time out and corrected a lot of things.”
Topics: Chelsea, Football, Enzo Maresca, Boxing
Luke Davies