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There aren’t many heavyweight boxers who’ve fit that label better than Eric Esch, the Absolute Unit who most people refer to as “Butterbean.” He retired in 2014 to cap off a career that spanned a couple of decades, and while he seems to be in a pretty good spot these days, he’s opened up about the rough patch he hit after hanging up his gloves.
Most professional boxers tend to cultivate a pretty chiseled physique that stems from the countless hours they need to spend in the gym to pursue that pastime for a living. With that said, there are some exceptions, and it’s hard to think of any that are quite as notable as the man known as “Butterbean.”
The Georgia native, born Eric Esch, initially made a name for himself at the start of the 1990s on the amateur circuit dubbed the “Toughman Contest.” The 5’11” brawler earned the “Butterbean” nickname thanks to a staple of the diet he had to turn to get his weight under 400 pounds to become eligible to compete in the first place, and while he packed on plenty of muscle, it was lurking under the doughy exterior that made him a sight to behold after he turned pro in 1994.
Butterbean posted an impressive 77-10-4 record as a professional boxer and held the WAA heavyweight and IBA super heavyweight titles during a career where he also dabbled in kickboxing, MMA, and pro wrestling before deciding to leave the ring behind.
He was also responsible for one of the best moments in the history of Jackass thanks to the “Department Store Boxing” segment from the first movie, which saw Johnny Knoxville utter the iconic line “Is Butterbean okay?” after recovering from the knockout punch that left him with a massive gash on his head.
Unfortunately, his opponent was not, in fact, okay in the wake of his retirement, and he recently opened up about what he had to overcome before literally getting back on his feet.
Butterbean had to battle depression and weight gain after retiring from boxing before turning things around
Butterbean conducted an interview with The Mirror where he got pretty candid about the struggles he found himself facing after giving up boxing as he neared his 50th birthday, noting he eventually tipped the scale at over 500 pounds and was largely confined to a wheelchair due to complications stemming from his weight, saying:
“When you can’t walk and you can’t walk into the store and get something to drink, you do get depressed. I was in bed for almost a year, not got out of bed, just to go to the bathroom. And I ate in the bed. I mean, I didn’t even leave the bed.”
He also noted he had to overcome a sex addiction back when he was still boxing, adding:
“It was pretty bad. I’ve been married for a long time and I’ve always loved my wife, but that was something that I’ve always had trouble getting over. Now, I’m good. I’m confident in myself now. I don’t have that problem. I’m a good boy now.”
Esch credited pro wrestler-turned-yoga evangelist Diamond Dallas Page for helping him turn things around with the training regimen that’s helped him slim down to a little over 300 pounds.
There’s no telling what the future holds for him, and while it’s pretty unlikely Jake Paul will accept the challenge he issued earlier this month, Butterbean has made it pretty clear he’d be down.