Butterbean wants Jake Paul fight after eight-word message left him furious

Boxing legend Butterbean has revealed the reason behind his campaign to face Jake Paul in his comeback fight. Heavyweight icon Eric Esch, better known as Butterbean, hung up his gloves in 2013, but the former knockout artist is eyeing a clash with the YouTube star.

Fan favourite Butterbean ended his career with a 77-10-4 record, including 57 KO victories. Having previously struggled with his weight, Esch has set his sights on a return to the ring after getting back in shape, throwing down the gauntlet to Mike Tyson and influencer Paul. Frustratingly for Butterbean, his dream opponents are scheduled to face each other next month in what will be Tyson's first pro fight since 2005.

Paul's move from YouTube sensation to a main-event boxer (10-1) has gained significant attention, with the Tyson fight scheduled to be shown on Netflix and potentially attended by 90,000 fans. However, it is not just about money for Butterbean, whose animosity towards Paul stems back to remarks made by 'The Problem Child' nearly four years ago.

In an interview with Chris Van Vliet last year, Butterbean called out the influencer once again: "I would love to fight Jake Paul, but he's too smart to fight me," Esch said. "I'm not saying he's a coward or anything like that, but I would destroy him. I think he knows; I mean, I hit way too hard for him. Once you're in the heavyweight division, you're a heavyweight. 197lbs is heavyweight."

Explaining his personal reason for wanting to face Paul, Butterbean added: "He made a statement a while back about me. He was like, 'I'm not like Butterbean, I'm not a joke'. Ever since then, I've wanted to fight him. Just to show him. I mean, if he thinks I'm a joke, I want to fight him."

This was about Paul's comments when quizzed about being a fan attraction, akin to Butterbean, following his victory over Nate Robinson in 2020. "They can go f*** off," Paul said. "I stole the [Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr] show."

It's been over two years since Butterbean first expressed his wish to return to the ring. Although he hasn't succeeded in luring either Tyson or Paul to the ring, Esch remains undeterred. He proposed a £1.5million ($2million) winner-takes-all fight to Paul after the Tyson fight was postponed earlier this year. However, Paul opted to face BKFC star Mike Perry in July, earning a TKO victory.

Butterbean has posted videos of his workouts on social media and was previously open to a bout with Tyson, whom he regards as a friend. Esch admitted to declining an exhibition match with Tyson in 2020 but is now fit and believes he would be a better opponent for Paul than 'Iron Mike'.

"I saw Mike about three weeks ago, and he looked pregnant," Butterbean told AL.com earlier this month. Butterbean's confidence was sky-high as he claimed, "I would knock him out. He has no chin. The problem with those who have lost to Tyson is they didn't challenge him."