Butterbean sends Jake Paul threat after he badmouthed him when he was wheelchair-bound
Butterbean has sent a stark warning to Jake Paul as he plots a return to the boxing ring. The 58-year-old American has been out of action since his 2013 TKO loss to Kirk Lawton.
In the years since, the pugilist, whose real name is Eric Esch, has been embroiled in a completely different battle: one with his weight and morbid obesity. Butterbean saw the scales skyrocket to 500lb - or 36.7 stone - when he was at his heaviest, forced to utilise a wheelchair for mobility as doctors told him he would never walk again.
During this time, Butterbean claims that Paul "talked bad" about him, only to change his tune now that he is fit and healthy following a remarkable body transformation that saw him shed more than 200lbs (15 stone). In an exclusive interview with Mirror Fighting this week via Lucky Energy, Butterbean said: "As soon as he says yes, I’m ready.
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"You know, I was in really bad shape. I was in a wheelchair for over three years. I couldn’t walk. I got over 500 pounds. I was fat and sloppy and couldn’t walk, and Jake wanted to talk bad about me then.
"So, I decided to get my fat butt in shape. And guess what I did? I’m 280 right now, 285. I’ve never been under 300 in my life that I know of. And now that I’m ready, he’s like, ‘Well, dude, you’re a legend. I can’t fight you right now.’ Yeah, buddy. Let’s get it going."
When asked what makes him think that he's the man to derail Paul's boxing career, he added: "I don’t think he’s afraid of me, but I think his people know that if he gets knocked out, his career’s over. Like, I would knock him out bad. I hit way too hard for him."
Meanwhile, Butterbean even went as far as labelling a fight with Paul as "one of the best fights of the year", adding: "I hit too hard for Jake. Needless to say, Jake was a joke in the beginning. Just another YouTuber out there trying to prove a point.
"He’s got a lot better.. So I wouldn’t mind sharing the ring just to fight him. Not just to shut him out because I think he was worthless, but he kind of p***ed me off."
Butterbean credits WWE superstar 'Diamond' Dallas Page with helping him shift the weight thanks to a rigorous yoga workout plan, and highlighted that he feels better at 58 than he did in the prime of his boxing career in his 20s. He said: "I’m not in a wheelchair no more.
"I went and moved to DDP for a while, did his yoga programme, and I’m in the best shape of my life right now. I feel better now at 50-something than I did when I was in my 20s, which is insane. I can’t explain it, but the Fountain of Youth, I dove in it and I come out so much better."
Paul, meanwhile, has been on quite the rise since he kicked off his professional boxing career with a first-round TKO over fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib back in January 2020. He then knocked out Nate Robinson in November before claiming wins over seasoned UFC stars Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley,and Anderson Silva.
He later suffered the first loss of his career via split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023 but has bounced back since thanks to wins over the likes of Nate Diaz, Andre Augustm, Ryan Bourland and Mike Perry.
Paul faced what was billed as the biggest fight of his life last November when he took on the ferocious former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson, despite there being a 30-year age difference.
Paul won that bout via unanimous decision, before clinching a win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in the same manner last month to boost his record to 12-1. His next fight remains a mystery, but Butterbean will hope he can lure Paul into a big-money fight despite persistent talk of the YouTuber rematching Fury.