Former super heavyweight boxing champion Butterbean has stunned fans worldwide after shifting around 15 stone.
The 57-year-old – real name Eric Esch – took to social media last year to share how he had slimmed down from around 515lbs to just over 300lbs through a yoga programme and the help of WWE star Diamond Dallas Page. And in a recent TikTok clip, the former champion has showed exactly how much weight has come off since he started his journey.
Taking to the social media site last month, Butterbean wrote: “weight loss #eating #diet #weightloss,” as he held up a pair of slacks in front of him, which were almost double his current waist size. And fans of the fighter were quick to the comments section to praise Esch’s hard work in slimming down.
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One person wrote: “Good job Butterbean,” while another added: “Thank you for sharing your journey with us.” A third said: “YOU are incredible, DON’T FORGET IT!!!!!” with a string of love hearts, while a fourth went on: “It’s good to see you like this.”
A fifth echoed: “Congratulations you are looking happier,” while another social media user said: “You are doing great dude.”
It comes after Butterbean initially updated followers on his weight loss journey last year, taking to Instagram to shock the world with the results of his new yoga routine. In a video back in August 2023, Butterbean stood in front of a set of digital scales with his shirt off, telling the camera: “Hey everybody, Butterbean here – look, I’ve never done a public weigh-in, first time.
“I was 515 [lbs] about a year and a half ago, two years ago – so let’s see what I weigh now.”
The scales then read as 303.8 lbs (or 21.7 stone) – meaning that the former boxer had shed around 15 stone with a combination of yoga and a gluten and dairy-free diet. The ex-champion told The Sun in 2022 that he started to tone up after concerns arose about his physical health.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking to the publication, he said: “I went through a stage where I was looking at the end of my life – not that I was going to kill myself. But in my life I was getting down, I was way overweight and just feeling down. I didn’t know if I had a couple of years to live or not.
“I took a challenge to accept a docuseries or a reality show with Diamond Dallas Page and I’ve been here the past four months. And it’s given me more energy and life since I was fighting regularly. But now, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life.”
Many fans will remember Butterbean from the first Jackass movie, in which he and Johnny Knoxville fought in a department store skit.
Knoxville would be left unconscious and in need of stitches after the stunt. However, Esch enjoyed an illustrious 77-10-4 career in the squared circle, beating the likes of George Linberger, Kenny Craven, Tim Burgoon and Patrick Graham. He would go on to win the IBA World Super Heavyweight Championship and the WAA World Heavyweight Championship in the sport.
The fighter would also earn a 3-4 record in kickboxing, and a 17-10-1 record in MMA during his career – with bouts in the likes of Pride, KSW and K-1.