Legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer says Glasgow will be bigger than boxing’s capital Las Vegas when World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Lightweight Champion Ricky Burns and Kevin Mitchell clash at the SECC on Saturday 22nd September.
Buffer has swapped the bright lights of Sin City for the hard streets of Glasgow and will belt out his immortal phrase “Lets Get Ready To Rumble” moments before the historic Auld rival showdown which is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).
He was last in the UK in July for the heavyweight grudge fight between David Haye and Dereck Chisora at West Ham United and didn’t need to be asked twice to cross the Atlantic again for the Battle of Britain.
“When offered the chance to come to Glasgow for this fight I jumped on it.” Said Buffer. “When two of the best in a division agree to fight each other, I want to be there. When the fight is to be held in a great venue like the SECC, it makes it even better and better again when the rivalry and fan bases are added to the mix. Forget about Las Vegas or Madison Square Garden as I expect nothing less than a roaring crowd and a great fight. After thirty years of announcing fights, I’m still a fan and still love the energy of a big time event like this one.”
“The upcoming fight between Burns and Mitchell, will have the same atmosphere as the epic Ken Buchanan-Jim Watt battle. I’m sure there will be a contingent of loyal Mitchell fans making their way north to support their fellow Englishman but while they will be extremely vocal, they’ll be quite outnumbered by the Rickster’s Scottish countrymen. The scene should be electric and memorable,”
Burns, Scotland’s first two-time/two-weight world champion in twenty years, is knocked-out that Buffer will introduce him, He said, “Buffer’s already a legend of the sport and it’s an unbelievable honour that he’s going to be introducing me in the biggest fight of my career and saying those immortal five words. As a kid watching all the big fights featuring some of the biggest boxers of all time like Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya, I always dreamed one day that he would announce one of my fights and here it is. In years to come, no matter how great the fight is between me and Mitchell, I think I will just be rewinding the part where he introduces me! I won’t be star struck in the ring though, at the end of the day it will be me and Mitchell fighting it out and it’s going to be a war.”
Although Buffer has announced some of the biggest fights in boxing history, one of his favourite is the classic 1973 all Scottish showdown between greats Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt.
Buffer added, “I remember watching two of the all time greats, both from Scotland, in the lightweight division, Ken Buchanan and Jim Watt, on television back in the ’70s. They were exciting fighters to watch and the lightweights of that era were among the best so their fights were, to say the least, extremely competitive. Buchanan was the master boxer of the two and Watt, also an excellent boxer, was the heavier puncher with a higher KO percentage. They both captured lightweight world titles and faced each other in Glasgow with the former world champion Buchanan winning on points over the future champ Watt and I imagine the Scottish fans were hanging from the ceiling for that 15 rounder as no seat went empty. I was recently shocked to find that Watt is not in the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with Buchanan. I’m hope that will be rectified in the future as he has, without a doubt, the qualifying credentials,”
“Just like the night those legendary lightweights, Buchanan and Watt faced off in Glasgow almost 40 years ago, this will be more of the same. We will have the master boxer, Ricky Burns, versus the dangerous puncher, Kevin Mitchell. Let’s get ready for the fireworks and LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!”
Burns v Mitchell will be televised live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546). Join now at www.boxnation.com
Remaining tickets are available from Eventim on 0844 249 1000 or online at eventim.co.uk and Ticket Soup on 0844 295 4000 or ticketSOUP.com
