Boxing legend Butterbean recently claimed to be in the "best shape of his life" whilst calling out YouTube star Jake Paul for a fight.
The former heavyweight boxer has been retired for almost a decade but wants to make a comeback against Paul. Butterbean - real name Eric Esch - finished his boxing career with a record of 77-10-4 and is without a win in the ring since 2007.
Esch, 55, never competed for a world title during his two decades in boxing. He also crossed over to kickboxing and MMA, competing in fights against Brazilian legend Zuluzinho and five-time World's Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski.
Paul has announced he will fight for the first time this year on August 13 against a yet-to-be-named opponent. With Esch also revealing that he will make a one-fight comeback, let's examine the profiles of the pair in the unlikely event they meet in the ring.
Butterbean
Esch received his icon nickname Butterbean after being forced to go on a limited diet of chicken and butterbeans in order to meet the heavyweight limit early on in his boxing career. Standing at 5'11" and weighing a massive 378lbs, Esch was a man-mountain in the ring.
The American racked up an impressive record of 65-3-2 before facing the toughest opponent of his career in former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. The fight went the distance as Esch was outpointed in Holmes' last ever fight.
Esch dabbled in kickboxing and MMA the following year, but struggled to replicate the success he had in boxing in the two disciplines. Now in the "best shape ever" after working with WWE star Diamond Dallas Page, Esch has called out Paul for his comeback fight.
"I’m feeling in the best shape I ever have. I’m at fight weight. You’ll have to listen to my podcast coming up to find exactly how much weight I have lost, but I haven’t weighed this in over 20 years so that’ll give you an idea.
"The big announcement is I’m gonna fight one last fight. It’s gonna be one year from now. Jake Paul, if you’re ready, I’m here for you my friend. Let’s get it on, me and you Jake Paul. I bet it would be an awesome fight. After you said what you said about me in the magazine, I’m ready to fight you. Are you ready? I don’t think so."
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Jake Paul
Paul made an unprecedented rise in the boxing world after using his huge internet following which has culminated in over 20 million subscribers on YouTube alongside over 19 million followers on social media.
The 25-year-old stands at 6'2" and has weighed in at 190lb for his five professional fights. That means Paul would hold a three-inch height advantage over Esch, but would be significantly outweighed by the heavyweight veteran.
Paul has knocked out every professional opponent he's faced so far. Starting with wins against fellow YouTube star AnEson Gib and former basketball player Nate Robinson, he dispatched MMA veteran Ben Askren and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley on two occasions.
The YouTube star drew comparisons to Esch after he knocked out Robinson on the undercard of Mike Tyson's comeback against Roy Jones Jr in 2020. Paul quickly dismissed the comments, stating: "They can go f*** off. I stole the show.”
“I understand why people don’t want to respect me yet. I’m putting the work in. I’ve dedicated my entire life to this, I've forfeited so many opportunities for this sport, all because I want to box. I wouldn't want to have it any other way. I've already made a lot of money. Now I want to die a legend.”
