THE role of a ring announcer is simple, really.
In theory, anyone with a commanding voice could quite easily slip on a blazer, tighten up their dicky bow and introduce anywhere between 12 and 20 fighters.
But while the job is – at least, at its core – seemingly straightforward, it includes an enormous degree of pressure and preparation which, for some, represents an impossible hurdle to overcome.
There is, after all, no room for error. If a ring announcer mispronounces a fighter’s name, for instance, they are, in this unforgiving digital age, immediately labelled as a charlatan or, worse still, an idiot with a microphone.
For a select few, though, the prospect of speaking in public, elevating the spectacle of an occasion by projecting their voice, is what excites them more than anything, often providing a dopamine hit, of sorts, that nothing can come close to replacing.
And yet, the larger than life personality associated with such a career remains far from mandatory.
As it happens, Kody Mommaerts – more commonly known as ‘Big Mo’ – discovered his passion for presenting and public speaking under vastly different circumstances.
“I grew up very socially awkward,” he told Boxing News. “I think part of it was because of my size – I was just a tall, lanky kid.
“I was raised by a former trial attorney, so my father taught me a lot about presentation. I was more comfortable being around adults than I was kids, because I was always with my dad and I would go to meetings with him; I saw how adults communicate.
“Unfortunately, that’s not always conducive to how young kids communicate.
“But then, as I started to present more in my early 20s, I saw that all the things I had learned as a kid, and all the efforts I put in, were what helped me to speak and present as an older person.
“From a young age, my dad taught me not to say ‘uh’ or ‘um’ when I speak. And so, with public speaking, I like to have a tool belt – like Batman’s tool belt – that is full of different phrases I can use if I need to take a pause.”
That attention to detail and meticulous planning has seen Mommaerts accelerate his progression in the industry, almost to a point where he is breathing down the necks of Michael Buffer and Jimmy Lennon Jr.
Interestingly, the gig that caught the attention of Boxxer, his employer, turned out to be an exhibition between strongmen Eddie Hall and Hafthor Bjornsson back in 2022.
From there, Mommaerts received the phone call he had long been waiting for and, with full confidence in his ability, promised to deliver a flawless performance in his first Sky Sports assignment.
“[Boxxer] contacted me [after Hall-Bjornsson] and I said, ‘look, just give me a test run. Don’t pay me, just let me show you what I can do,’” he recalled.
“That fight ended up being Chris Billam-Smith vs Isaac Chamberlain. And it all just worked, in my opinion, really well. The Bournemouth crowd was perfect for my style.”
While his love for presenting came first, ‘Big Mo’ soon developed an appreciation for combat sports after taking a stab at martial arts during his college years.
His constant interactions with fighters, too, has only enhanced that level of engagement, with the 29-year-old firmly believing that his industry is like none other.
“I think combat sports – so boxing, MMA, kickboxing – is the best grouping of sports in the world,” Mommaerts declared.
“The mentality behind a fighter is a lot different than any other sport, and I’ve played a lot of sports.
“In sport, you’re thinking about winning the game, running the fastest or whatever. But that changes when [the sport is] literally about inflicting punishment on someone.
“Sure, there’s rules like any other sport. But again, the motivation is to ultimately injure your opponent.
“When you immerse yourself in [combat sports], and see the psychology behind it, and the prep behind it, and everything else that goes into it, I don’t think there’s anything that even comes remotely close.”
While his career, in many ways, has only just begun, Mommaerts has already earned the opportunity to be involved in a series of monumental events.
Last November, he was the ring announcer for Netflix’s first ever live boxing show – headlined by Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson – and hopes to extend his working relationship with the streaming juggernaut.
“I was a part of the first all-women’s card when it was [headlined by] Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall,” he highlighted.
“I was then part of the second all-women’s card at the Royal Albert Hall, with Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas. And now, hopefully, I get to be part of the third all-women’s card with Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano [on July 11].
“And especially doing it at Madison Square Garden, that would be a dream come true for sure.”
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