Amy steals the show

What ring announcer Amy Hayes wore wasn’t “sparkingly sexy” as she said it would be but just the same, fans were hardly disappointed with her stunning appearance in Third Force Promotions’ “Payback” boxing extravaganza at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday.

Hayes, who turned 34 only a few weeks ago, showed up in a strapless, body-hugging white dress that fell just above the knees. She called it “appropriate for the occasion.” The blond bombshell, whose personal website listed her vital statistics as 36-25-36, walked around in gold high-heeled shoes.

The day before, she raised eyebrows in a fetching low-cut outfit during the press public preview at Market! Market! in the Fort. Someone from Third Force offered Hayes a jacket to cover up her ample assets before the wolves could stampede. If she had plans of wearing something revealing for Sunday’s show, they were scuttled right there and then.

Still, the men – and the women, too –feasted their eyes on Hayes as she did the introductions for the last four fights in the card. She used her famous line – “it’s time to separate the men from the boys”– only once. The line is her version of Michael Buffer’s “let’s get ready to rumble.”

Hayes’ father Morris, a former sportscaster, revealed that Buffer once threatened to walk out if she appeared on the same show.

 “I really don’t know what the fuss was about but Michael refused to come out for a show even if Amy was just doing the undercard and he was doing the main event,” said Morris. “Amy didn’t want to create any problems so she backed off. She was paid in full and the promoters took care of flying her in from Kentucky to California. Later, I bumped into Michael’s brother Bruce and he denied it ever happened. But it sure did.”

In an interview with Ed Ludwig on eastsideboxing.com, Hayes spoke about the Buffer incident.

“I did not talk to Mr. Buffer that night,” she said. “Recently, his brother Bruce called me and said no such thing ever happened. He also said that he and Michael had talked about it and that Mr. Buffer was willing to help me and even let me do his undercards sometime. But the only problem now is that I don’t do undercards. All I can present is that I was hired for a fight, a big fight – Mosley versus de la Hoya. I was paid and received hair and make-up that night and I didn’t get to announce.”

There was mention of the Buffer incident in Hayes’ story that came out with a pictorial in the March 2002 issue of Playboy Magazine. 

“No, I’m not a Playboy bunny,” she said. “I did a boxing coverage once out of the Playboy mansion and I was featured in a celebrity shoot for the magazine. I was never in the centerfold, though. I was photographed because of my role in boxing. The shooting was done at the famous Gleason’s Gym in New York and I used Zab Judah’s dressing room. No, Zab wasn’t in the room when I dressed.”

In Playboy, Hayes took a potshot at Buffer. “One time, before a fight, he threatened to walk if I went out there,” she said, quoted in the magazine. “I know he’s the best and I was nervous. I think he felt the heat, knowing that a young woman could actually go up there and carry off the announcing duties without it being a joke.”

Hayes has done over 50 fights, including a 2002 IBF superfeatherweight title bout between Steve Forbes and David Santos in Temecula. She has appeared on ESPN, HBO, Showtime, the Sunshine Network, Telemundo and the Fox Sports Net. Additionally, Hayes has performed cameo roles on TV’s “Baywatch” “Arrest and Trial” and “Destination Stardom.”

Hayes was a round girl when she was 17 and after strutting around the ring holding up a placard, decided there was more she could do in the sport.  

“It’s really an honor to be a ring announcer because boxing is traditionally a boys club,” she said. “I’ve never done boxing myself although I’m not counting the fights I had in school. My favorite all-time fighter is Joe Louis. My favorite modern-day fighter is Sugar Shane Mosley. I’ve introduced Muhammad Ali, George Foreman and Joe Frazier who were guests at ringside. And I did Laila Ali’s third fight.”

Hayes, a graduate of the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts, was the master of ceremonies for the de la Hoya-Hopkins simulcast at the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York. She recently filed for divorce from her husband of three years, Jeff Brassow.

Last Monday, Hayes and her father went to Tagbilaran City for a resort vacation on Mayor Dan Neri Lim’s invitation. They fly back to the US tomorrow.

“I love the Philippines,” said the ever-smiling Hayes who accommodates every request for an autograph or a pose for a photo. “Last Sunday’s show was first-class and credit goes to Third Force for making it happen. I wouldn’t hesitate to come back if given another opportunity.”

Hayes was briefed on the nuances of introducing fights locally by Filipino ring announcer Boy Villanera. She did a creditable job.

“Amy’s a true professional,” said a Third Force coordinator. “She wanted her cue cards hours before the show so she could study them. She worked on the pronunciations of names she wasn’t familiar with. Of course, she enjoyed herself here but she came for work and that was her priority.”