Former American boxer Butterbean, real name Eric Esch, transitioned to kickboxing and mixed martial arts before calling it quits. He made an attempt to become a professional MMA wrestler, but Genki Sudo defeated him in the first match.
He participated in the Toughman Contest as a professional boxer in 1994. Due to his involvement in several reality series, he is also a well-known figure on television.
Early Life & Biography of Butterbean
Esch was born on August 3, 1966, in Atlanta, Georgia, but his family relocated when he was just four years old to St. Johns, Michigan, and then again when he was 11 to Jasper, Alabama.
Butterbean had a challenging upbringing; his mother died when he was eight years old, and he was frequently teased at school for being overweight.
His colleagues dared him to compete in a neighboring Toughman Contest when he was working on the floors for manufacturing homes at the Southern Energy Homes facility in Addison, Alabama, with training in Bay City, Michigan. He began his fighting career as the winner of the competition.
Height, Weight, and Age
As of today, 24 January 2021, Butterbean, who was born on 3 August 1966, is 54 years old. He stands 1.82 meters tall and weighs 193 kilograms.
Wife of A Butterbean, Marriage
With his wife of one year, Libby Gaskin, Butterbean has three kids: Brandon, Caleb, and Grace. Two of his boys, Caleb and Brandon, are each learning mixed martial arts. Currently, they are residing in the Alabaman city of Jasper.
Eric Butterbean’s Career
A man with a tonne of talent is named Butterbean. The 55-year-old participated in almost every professional combat sport that was available at the time as a result.
Among the combat sports, Eric has competed in include boxing, MMA, kickboxing, and wrestling.
Let’s start by talking about boxing, the sport in which Esch started his professional career. The 5 feet 11-inch heavyweights had a successful career after starting out in 1994.
The IBA Super Heavyweight Championship, which Eric won in 1997 and successfully defended five times, is what makes him most famous.
But the fight he had to have the fondest memories of was with the great Larry Holmes. Holmes overcame Butterbean despite the fact that he was nearing the end of his spectacular career. Eric was also competing in his first ten-round match.
So, fatigue was a major factor in the 55-year downfall. old’s Nevertheless, Eric ended his boxing career with a record of 77 wins, 10 losses, and 4 draws.
Impressively, 58 of Butterbean’s 77 victories were obtained via knockout, highlighting his skill with the punch.
Kickboxing Career
2003 was the start of Esch’s kickboxing career. The 55-year-old played in the sport for a brief period of time, though.
The main cause of this is that Butterbean had a terrible time adjusting to a sport that was completely different from boxing.
The native of Atlanta finished his two-year K-1 career with a three-win, four-loss record as a result. However, Eric did experience a few memorable incidents while working for K1.
Notably, in 2003, Butterbean knocked out Yusuke Fujimoto in the opening round of his K-1 debut.
The 5-11 heavyweight also triumphed in his final kickboxing match in 2009.
For instance, Eric won the opening round against Moon-Bi Lam.
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Working in MMA
A respectable 17 victories, 10 defeats, and 1 draw marked the end of Butterbean’s MMA career. His foray into MMA, however, was not without incident as he drew his second fight after losing his first.
So, after a disappointing beginning, it was up to the resident of Atlanta to perform. And that’s exactly what Esch did, winning his following six fights to finish with a 6-1-1 record.
In addition, Butterbean participated in the now-defunct Pride Fighting Championship, a major MMA organization. In fact, Eric won the Pride FC’s last event in 2007 via first-round submission against the 5-11 heavyweights.
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Professional Wrestling
As was already mentioned, Butterbean is a man with a wealth of talent. The native of Atlanta has consequently engaged in professional wrestling.
To clarify, Eric defeated former Golden Gloves champion Marc Mero in his WWF (now WWE) debut in 1997.
At WrestleMania XV in 1999, Esch made a comeback and defeated Bart Gunn for the Brawl for All title in under 36 seconds.
The fact that the fight was real, as opposed to the WWE’s scheduled contests, is even more impressive.
After that, Butterbean took a ten-year hiatus until making a spectacular comeback in 2009. Shortly after, Eric defeated Trent Acid to win the Heavyweight championship of the Pro Wrestling Syndicate, earning him his first professional wrestling title.
The native of Atlanta engaged in a couple more fights after that until declaring retirement in 2012.
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Butterbean: Achievements & Awards
Butterbean has accomplished significant career milestones and amassed a number of honors. Among his notable accomplishments are:
- Super Heavyweight World Champion of the IBA
- World Heavyweight Championship of the WAA
- Heavyweight Championship of the Pro Wrestling Syndicate
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Butterbean: Value
As of 2022, Butterbean, who had competed in a number of noteworthy bouts over his career, has a net worth of about $600,000. He has prospered throughout his career, and boxing has significantly increased his net worth. He leads a luxury lifestyle that is influenced by the high income he receives.