That's why this whole thing started. I still remember my first big fight was at Madison Square Garden in June of It was Roberto Duran making another one of his comebacks, and he beat Davey Moore, the light middleweight champion. I was born and raised in Philadelphia. 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.
After the second score, you knew who won the fight, it didn't have that drama. My son said, "Dad you could do that. That became a lot of exposure and everything took off. 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. Yes, he used to say that. But he would say, "I'm ready to rumble. Quite a few times. I remember we met at a national sports awards in Washington D.
He introduced me as, "Do you know who this is? This is the Rumble Man. My favorite thing he'd say, when he got older and you'd have to put your ear to his lips just to hear him speak, he'd say, "I'm still prettier than you. I trademarked it because I sensed it was starting to pop up editorially - headlines before a big fight. I had a feeling I could capitalize on it and wanted to make sure I had ownership. Seeing the phrase everywhere, and knowing it was still associated with his voice and image, he decided to trademark it.
And I checked with attorneys and found out that this could be considered what they call intellectual property. He made another smart move. He hired lawyers who continued to file renewals to ensure nobody else could claim they had a right to use the phrase.
Related: Trademarking a phrase. The trademark has made Buffer a multimillionaire. He used the trademark to secure payment rights for every use of that catchphrase in a song, video game or movie. Merchandise from coffee mugs to tee shirts that sport the phrase must pay him a royalty. He also makes money with guest appearances, where he delivers the famous line in person. The trademark applies in the U. In , Buffer was diagnosed with throat cancer.
It was a devastating blow for a man who built his fortune on his voice. In a press statement, Buffer said he suspected it may have been caused by smoking when he was younger. Doctors warned him that surgery and chemotherapy would change his voice. After surgery, however, he found his voice was just as strong as it had been. Late in life, Buffer reunited with his birth parents and his half-brother Bruce.
When he was going to boxing matches with his kids in the s, one of his sons told him that he could do the job of the ring announcer. I can't afford a ticket, so maybe I could just get my way in to the ring that way," he said. But I got another shot and it just took off—the power of television.
By: Patrick Basler. Want to Join the Team?
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