Eric “Butterbean“ Esch - The Legendary Knockout Machine

He's like a bumblebee. So aerodynamically out of proportion, yet flies so gracefully. Respect to the man.

I interviewed Butterbean in my newspaper days when he was in Amarillo. He was humble, intelligent, articulate and a gentleman in every way. It was an honor to write the story on this man.

I loved this guy because he was such an ethical boxer. He never threw unnecessary punches. When he saw the adversary crumbling down, he stopped punching to not cause unnecessary damage. A really great guy.

Actual living juggernaut from x-men. Dude ate punches like popcorn being built like the human crash dummy picture. Total legend

I was worried he'd be dead by now with all the extra weight, apparently, he's only 55 living happily with his wife and 3 kids. I'm glad that a legend is still well and alive.

I got to meet Butterbean at the Tulsa gun show a few years back, I was amazed at the size of his hands, he was very gracious and a very polite man. I felt honored to shake his hand.

The most amazing thing is his cardio/boxing. He actually had very solid accuracy, quick hands for the shovels they were, and just kept walking you down.

Very natural at what he does. Every young boy who's at the bigger side should see this. Overcoming your own shortcomings and turning them into strenght. Much, much respect Butterbean.

The way he moved being as big as he was is quite impressive... A true legend, in the sport and in his character.

What a lot of people don't realize: not only was he a badass with his fists, but he was also a defensive genius. When it looks like he's getting hit, he's actually blocking the punch with his face. Dude was HARD.

Most underrated Heavy weight legend to ever live.A damn shame he isnt as iconic as Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali...!...Especially considering he was a absolute monster.!

Wow, Butterbean was the GOAT. I saw him in toughman contests, to mma, to boxing. The man was Thor's hammer. Not a fear in the world. Could easily fight for any title in any organization. He embarrassed and shook down many in their respective sports. The dude was just a force of nature.

This man is easily one of the most entertaining boxers in history.

Honorable mentions: Butterbean vs. Knoxville, somewhere in a japanese department store in 2002. Butterbean won by KO in ~30 seconds.

BB recently lost a ton of weight and had hip surgery, now he is under 280 pounds and practicing boxing again, made this possible through DDP Dallas diamond Page program . Proud of him ✅

6:52 shows you why he was terrifying. Hit at full force with a punch, and he just smiles. Imagine being the fighter against him

One thing I would like to add is, this guy "BUTTERBEAN" is such an inspiration to all the young kids in the world. Looking at his childhood, the tragic loss of his parents at a very young age, his personality, his friends helping him out and specially giving him the name butterbean, which he hated as a diet but still keeps it for the sake of his friends, the whole damn thing is so touching. Fighters come and go, but some are here to be remembered for the rest of our lives. Salute you "Butterbean". God bless you forever.

Butterbean was such a beast. His staredown was nasty as well

He made history and proved everybody wrong about his "out of shape" figure. He might have been overweight, but that didn't stop the fact that he had bombs for hands....What a legend! He was such a tank and always going to war pushing forward. Never seen him take a step back. He was on your ass like a drunk bar fight. Can't believe he even called out Mike Tyson one time! Would have loved to see that.

Back when boxers used to throw hands. Now they dance and hug each other