Tyson has already been despatched message by Butterbean forward of Paul showdown
Boxing legend Butterbean has made it clear that he’d be open to stepping into the ring with Mike Tyson if Jake Paul loses this weekend.
Earlier this year, YouTube sensation Paul was surprisingly announced to be facing boxing legend Tyson in a bout airing on Netflix. But when Tyson suffered an ulcer setback, pushing the event to November, Paul vowed to honour their July date and will take on bare-knuckle brawler and former UFC fighter Mike Perry on Saturday.
After making his decision, Paul shared Tyson’s reaction to the news: “Mike Tyson called and said, ‘What are you doing, Mike Perry is a killer, you could jeopardise everything, the biggest fight of your career and the biggest payday of your career'” he confessed. “That’s what puts the pressure on me, that’s what raises the stakes and I love that, I come alive in those moments and he most certainly is not going to be the one to stop me.”
The social media star, 27, has racked up a 9-1 pro record but has copped plenty of criticism for taking on a 58-year-old boxing veteran, whose last pro bout came in 2005. Yet, the legendary Butterbean (77-10-4), who is just shy of Tyson’s age, is raring to make a return to the boxing scene and talked up a fight between himself and the former world champion earlier this year.
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Talking about his KO power and a potential scrap with Tyson, Butterbean told Chris Van Vliet: “Yeah, if you connect, they’re gone. I’ve never been knocked out. [Tyson’s] been knocked out quite a few times. I’m not trash-talking, I like Mike Tyson. But he’s actually small, he’s not a big guy.
“He’s powerful, I have no doubt! The reason me and Tyson would be a good fight, Tyson wouldn’t be afraid. He’s come right at me, we’d go to the centre of the ring and we’d beat the s*** out of each other. It would be a hell of a fight to watch!”
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(Image: Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Netflix)
Butterbean, whose real name is Eric Esch, clocked up 57 KOs but never threw down with the ex-heavyweight champ. He’s now dished out that he got a shot at Tyson back in 2020 – the same year ‘Iron Mike’ went toe-to-toe with Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition match – but wasn’t in the right shape, physically or mentally, to take the fight.
In recent years, Butterbean has undergone a body transformation after shedding the pounds with help from ex-WWE legend and yoga guru Diamond Dallas Page. Once a whopping 36 stone (515lbs), Butterbean tipped the scales at a trimmer 21.7 stone (302lbs) last year following some serious work with DDP.
After slimming down, Butterbean has been itching for a comeback and threw down the gauntlet to both Tyson and Paul in 2022, way before their bout was on the cards. “I’m not a typical boxer, I go out there to fight. I want to knock somebody out,” he stated.
“Jake Paul or Mike Tyson. Jake Paul runs his mouth too much, he’s never fought nobody, I would love to fight him.
“I think people would like to see me and Tyson go at it, which would be a hell of a draw,” Butterbean continued. “Me and Tyson are actually friends but I don’t mind fighting friends.”
