HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, one of TV’s most honored sports journalism series, continues its 20th season with more enterprising features and reporting when the show’s 206th edition debuts Tuesday, May 20th at 10 pm on HBO.
The episode will include a feature titled — The Buffer Brothers.
Michael and Bruce Buffer are two of the most recognizable personalities in combat sports. Michael has bellowed his legendary catchphrase “Let’s get ready to rumble!” at nearly all of the most notable boxing matches of the last 30 years, while brother Bruce is the “Veteran Voice of the Octagon” as the announcer for the UFC. Michael was born to a young couple during World War II and entered foster care in Philadelphia at 11 months old. Never formally adopted, he grew up with the surname Huber, but reassumed his legal last name, Buffer, when he joined the Army at age 20.
When Michael became a fixture on the fight scene, Bruce noticed his own striking resemblance to the well-dressed ring announcer, not to mention sharing the same last name. Working up the courage to ask his father if they were related, Bruce was stunned to learn they were indeed brothers. REAL SPORTS correspondent Soledad O’Brien sits down with the enterprising duo to learn more about this unexpected and inspiring story, and how it led to the birth of the Buffer Partnership.
