Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch is one of the most popular cult figures in boxing, but he never quite made the big bucks his star power may have warranted.
While promoter Bob Arum claims he eventually pocketed over $1million collectively, a slight dig under the surface indicates that it was not all riches. After all, he fought hundreds of times including 13 bouts in the year of his biggest payday against Peter McNeeley.
He has also become infamous for his appearances in the MMA cage where he fought the likes of Mariusz Pudzianowski as well as on TV shows such as Jackass. He is currently pushing for one last big money fight against Jake Paul after getting himself under 300lb for the first time in 30 years.
Butterbean’s career earnings indicate he never made six figures for a fight
While many of Butterbean’s purses are unknown, a cursory search online indicates that his highest payday was a $60,000 flat fee for a 1999 showdown with Peter McNeeley. Four years after Medfield’s own faced Mike Tyson, he was given a shot at Butterbean on pay-per-view.
The bout didn’t last long as the big man landed a quick first round knockout, before returning to the ring just a few weeks later in Tijuana. However, Esch was never able to parlay that payout into a big money fight with Mike Tyson as he had planned.
Promoter Bob Arum claimed that Esch was ‘honing in on’ having made $1million in his career by around fight number 50 in an LA Times interview in 1999. But given how often he was competing and other expenses, it doesn’t quite mean Butterbean was ever a millionaire.
Indeed, the fact that he fought deep into the 2000s despite health issues and even forced himself to get in the cage would indicate that money may have been tight. He once was within touching distance of a $2million exhibition with Shaquille O’Neal amid rumors of an NBA lockout, but that never materialized.
Esch also famously pursued Mike Tyson in the late 90s, but the ‘King of the four rounders’ was never able to get that fight either.
Butterbean wants one last payday against Jake Paul
Now at the age of 59, Butterbean has dropped hundreds of pounds and insists that he could get back in the ring one more time. He wants that bout to be with controversial Jake Paul, who is currently preparing to fight Gervonta Davis despite a more than 90lb weight disparity.
“Butterbean’s back for one more fight,” he said during a mock press conference. “There’s only one fighter out there who wants to fight retired bald guys. Jake Paul, I’m coming for you. I want to fight Jake Paul because he runs his mouth too d— much.”
Esch claims that their feud dates back to 2020 when he was bed bound by health problems, and Paul mocked him at a press conference.