He has one of the most recognizable voices in sports and is a Western New York treasure. And soon, Rick Jeanneret will add to his illustrious career - an honorary inductee of the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame in Belfast, New York.
"It's a nice honor, it really is...it is something different and something we can have fun with," said Sabres announcer Rick Jeanneret.
Jeanneret will join former Sabres player turned broadcaster Rob Ray as an honorary inductee. Ray was a member of the first inductee class back in 2009.
"Now, it was cool, I went in the first year with Joe Mesi and didn't know what to expect, but I have to say I was pretty darn impressed with what the town put on," said Rob Ray.
What were the top three bouts RJ, as he's known to Sabres fans as, says he has ever called?
"It would be Rob Ray and Tie Domi in one of their many battles, I don't know which one there were so many," said Jeanneret. "But prior to that, Chicago Stadium... Jim Schoenfeld, Phil Russell. Neither one grapples, they just stood back and threw haymakers, I swear to God, Russell was out on his feet but refused to go down and Schoenfeld was not far behind him."
"Number three would be another night in Chicago Stadium when I looked up and saw a disturbance in the crowd and so did the three officials, they refused to drop the puck because the fight in the crowd was so good," said Jeanneret. "They were gonna stay there and watch it till the very end and the only thing that slowed down was either sanity or security.. I'm not sure what one got there first."
So this summer, Jeanneret will join some of the greatest names in prize fighting history, like John L Sullivan and Jack Dempsey, as he becomes part of the tenth class of inductees. Jeanneret has been calling bare knuckle bouts on the ice for nearly 50 years.