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Michael Buffer snubs Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather as he weighs in on boxing GOAT debate

Originally posted on Bloody Knockout | By Donal Long | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 10:26 AM ET

Legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer has been around the sport of boxing for decades as he is one of the sport’s most recognizable figures.

Michael Buffer, brother of UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, began his career in 1982 and coined his famous ‘Let’s get ready to rumble!’ phrase in 1984.

Since his introduction to the sport, Buffer has been involved in some of the biggest fights of all time.

With so much time spent in the boxing ring announcing fights, Buffer has a significant knowledge of the sport. This means when he weighed in on who the greatest boxer of all time is, his opinion matters.

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Michael Buffer names Sugar Ray Robinson as the greatest fighter of all time

Many people debate who the greatest boxer of all time is, with opinions often varied.

Boxing promoter Frank Warren named Muhammad Ali as his pick, as Bob Arum named Naoya Inoue as the best fighter he has ever seen.

However, Buffer did not agree with either of the promoters as he made another choice.

Posting on X in a response to a post promoting the question of who is the greatest of all time, Buffer replied, “It’s still Sugar Ray Robinson, and probably always will be.”

The original post Buffer reposted included images of Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Joe Louis, and Floyd Mayweather.

Robinson’s final career fight came in 1965, as he retired with a professional record of 174-19-6. ‘Sugar’ was also a former world middleweight and welterweight champion.