Floyd's a sweetheart

MC Michael Buffer tells skysports.com about the real Mayweather...

The last time we saw him on our screens, he called Ricky Hatton "a bitch". The next time we see him he will be trying to knock the Hitman out. In between times you are bound to come across images of him flashing his cash, mouthing off and making fewer friends than he has world titles. But don't be fooled by what you see... Floyd Mayweather is a sweetheart. At least he is according to legendary fight announcer Michael Buffer, whose professional path has crossed the Pretty Boy's on umpteen occasions since he arrived on the world scene some nine years ago. Buffer - who will be the MC for Undefeated on December 8th - has been urging Mayweather to get ready to rumble since his first title win at super-featherweight in 1998 and knows him well. And while it won't be a surprise of knockout proportion to discover that in person, the Pretty Boy isn't as grotesque as his public image, Hatton will surely chuckle to himself when he finds out he is actually getting it on with a cherub. "Floyd is, I guess because of the age difference, like a little nephew to me," Buffer told skysports.com.

Game-face

"I've always got along with him well ever since his first world championship fight at 130lbs. He has a face that he puts on, just like Muhammad Ali did years ago - and just like Ricky has his press conference game-face at times. "With Floyd he has a persona at this point in his career that he likes to embellish, I guess: the bad boy, the supreme confidence - which he does have - but he's a sweetheart. "He's very charming and he's very nice to be with." Which brings Buffer nicely on to the man in the other corner come December 8th. It's a gauge of how far Hatton has come when the almost permanent fixture for Vegas' big fight nights can't recall exactly how many of his bouts he has called. He knows he was in Sheffield four years ago, thinks it is "five or six" and because what Buffer usually says goes, it seems wrong to correct him. Particularly when he speaks so fondly of Manchester's finest. "Ricky's a great guy and his Dad and the whole crew he has around him are chatty and always a lot of fun to be with," he said.

Flattery

"The thing is, a lot of people don't realise that these fighters are fight fans themselves, so when the point comes in each of our careers where we meet each other, I'm excited to meet Ricky Hatton and he says he's excited to have me announcing his fight! "It's like a mutual flattery society. It's a lot of fun, I enjoy that." He also has taken a shine to the army of Hatton fans who will be heading for Nevada next month in their droves. Having been the MC for that first defence of his IBF light-welterweight title in Sheffield two years ago, Blue Moon now holds a special place in Buffer's heart. And even if Hatton cannot produce a surprise in the ring, the thousands of fans in attendance from the UK will leave the fight capital of the world shell-shocked, says the 63-year-old. "His fans follow him everywhere and his last three fights have been here in the States. I did his last fight in the UK against Carlos Maussua in Sheffield, so I'm sort of used to it," he said. "But when I see the American fans, they're like 'what the heck is going on here?', with Blue Moon and his entrance. But I find it a lot of fun and quite exciting. "It makes my job a lot easier. It makes it more interesting, and most importantly, more fun. "You'll notice just before I say "let's get ready to rumble", I like to set the table with something like 'now for the thousands in attendance' and there's like this hush that comes over the crowd. "That's pretty exciting because they know what's coming and the Hatton fans are just dying to let loose." That catchphrase has been trademarked and his official website (LetsRumble.com) says it has grossed a cool $400,000,000, something even Sweetheart Floyd surely can't contend with. But that was never Buffer's intention. He might provide the regular soundtrack to the world's seediest and greediest sport, but believe it or not, those famous five words were formulated for all the right reasons.

Excitement

A self-confessed boxing nut and consummate showman in equal measure, he is more than aware of the fight as a showbiz spectacle as much as a sporting contest. Perhaps in the same way Mayweather becomes pantomime villain and Hatton the stand-up comedian at the pre-fight press conferences, Buffer knows his job goes beyond reeling off career stats and official weights before the first bell. "I wanted something to get the crowd back into the excitement of the fight," he said. "Somewhere along the line, 25 or 30 years ago, everybody started being introduced at ringside that had an official or semi-official position: steward in charge, four doctors, supervisors. It had got out of hand - I remember doing a fight where I introduced 19 people before the fighters. "When the fighters come out, it's big, it's exciting, it's electric, the music is playing, the crowd is on its feet and then, by way of the PA announcement, it just sucks the air out of the room and kills the crowd. "This bout is sanctioned by the WBA, the IBF etc, etc... I wanted something comparable to the famous phrase at the Indianapolis 500: 'Gentleman start your engines', when everybody goes crazy. "I wanted something that would be a hook to bring them back and then introduce the fighters and give them a deserving introduction." Maybe not Floyd 'The Sweetheart' Mayweather... Michael Buffer was speaking to Tim Hobbs