World-famous boxer coming

Eric Esch had plenty work to do. Preparing for a Tough Man Competition in Arkansas in the early 1990s, Esch needed to drop 20 pounds to get below the promotion’s sanctioned weight limit.

“I weighed 420, and I had to get down to 400 to enter the contest,” he said. “So I went on a butterbean diet. I ate nothing but butterbeans and chicken. So the people at work started to call me Butterbean, because I had been eating them non-stop, so the name just stuck.”

A catchy nickname was found, and a star was born.

Butterbean reached his weight limit and has since become one of the most recognizable faces in the sport of boxing, having fought in close to 200 combined Tough Man, boxing, kick boxing and MMA fights in his now more than 20-year career.

His now storied career has seen him earn the recognition as the “King of the 4-Rounders,” because of his dominance in the Tough Man and super heavyweight’s four-round bouts.

“I’ve fought pretty much everywhere imaginable,” Butterbean said. “Any place that’s a major boxing venue in the US, I’ve fought there. I’ve fought in Australia, Japan, China, Korea, Argentina … I’ve been all over the world, and I’ve had a lot of fun doing it.”

The world-famous fighter will take his “fun” into Houma for the first time in his career July 9, when he headlines “The Lion and His Pride” – a 12-bout boxing and MMA card presented by MadMax Entertainment of Houma.

The former IBA Super-Heavyweight champion will fight Houma boxer Darrin Carline in the main event of the evening.

The event will be held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, and tickets range from $20 to $40.

The boxer said boxing fans would be “cheating themselves” to not punch their tickets to be a part of the live event.

“The full card is going to be action packed. The promoters have done a really good job in putting everything together,” he said. “You couldn’t expect more than what this fight card has to offer, I promise you.”

Also on the card will be Butterbean’s sons, Brandon and Caleb. They will be competing in MMA action.

“It’s exciting to watch them fight,” Butterbean said. “They are both really exciting fighters to watch, so I’m proud of them.”

Brandon will take on Billy Marcel. Jacob Quick will oppose Caleb.

Both Marcel and Quick are from Houma.

“Both of them are doing real well,” Butterbean said of his sons. “They are learning with every fight. That’s just how it works in the fight game. You’ve got to learn by fighting. You can’t just train and not fight.”

But the proud papa still packs a pretty mean punch, too.

Butterbean has won four of his past five boxing matches. He’s also won three out of his past four MMA bouts – a sport he is new to, but said he has embraced with open arms.

“I enjoy the MMA. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s exciting,” Butterbean said. “The difference in the boxing and the MMA is the guys always come to fight … It’s the fastest growing sport in the world.”

When he steps into the ring in the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, Butterbean will be fighting a familiar foe.

He and Carline fought an exhibition bout in 2002 with Butterbean earning the victory.

His prediction this time around? Another loss for Mr. Carline.

“Exactly the same result,” Butterbean said. “He thinks he can take me now, and I’m glad he thinks that, but it ain’t going to happen. No way.”

The stop in Houma might also be the fighter’s last-ever fight in the United States.

At 43 with another birthday rolling around in early August, Butterbean said he only has “four or five more fights left.”

With a handful of overseas fights already scheduled after his Houma stop, he said he’s not sure if he will ever be back in a ring on American soil.

“This is more than likely going to be the last one in Louisiana,” he said. “After the overseas fights, who knows? It might be the last one ever in America.”

Regardless of when and where it ends, the world famous fighter said he has no regrets.

“I’ve had an absolute blast the whole way,” he said. “Where else can you knock somebody out, not go to jail, and get paid for doing it?”