Boxing cult hero Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch wants to face either Jake Paul or Mike Tyson as the former professional boxer teases a return to the ring. The 55-year-old recently claimed that he is in the best shape of his life after starting personal training sessions with WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page with the view of fighting again next year.
Over a 19-year period, Esch competed as a professional in boxing, MMA, and kickboxing with 126 total fights in all three disciplines before retiring in 2013. But now, he is back and hoping to earn one more payday against Tyson or Paul.
“I’m not a typical boxer, I go out there to fight,” Butterbean told The Sun. “I want to knock somebody out. Jake Paul or Mike Tyson. Jake Paul runs his mouth too much, he’s never fought nobody, I would love to fight him. But I think people would like to see me and Tyson go at it, which would be a hell of a draw. Me and Tyson are actually friends but I don’t mind fighting friends.”
After retiring, Esch ballooned up to 500lbs and was in a very dark place, but thanks to his work with Page he is dropping the weight fast and is in a much healthier head space. Esch’s weight loss journey is being documented in a TV series where Page, famous for his DDP Yoga programme, helps celebrities to lose weight.
And now a fully motivated Esch wants to face Tyson, two years after he was forced to turn down an exhibition bout with the former ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’. According to Esch, Tyson’s comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr was originally scheduled to be against Bob Sapp but after that fight couldn’t be made they approached him.
Talking about the offer, he said: “I was in that dark place. There was no way it was possible. I’m alive right now, I’m good to go. And Mike is in great shape, it would be a hell of a fight. We’d both come to fight, Mike ain’t going to run from me. That’s where his big mistake would be. I sparred Buster Mathis a lot, so I know Tyson’s style.”
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Tyson announced after the Jones Jr fight that he is hoping to fight again in the near future. For a time, it seemed as though Tyson and Paul may face off after Iron Mike revealed they had discussed the fight. However, Paul has since been matched up with Tommy Fury on August 6 – and with Tyson claiming that time is running out for their bout to be made, perhaps a fight with Butterbean would be the next best option.
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