Eric Esch

2.1. Boxing

Esch made his professional boxing debut on October 15, 1994, in Birmingham, Alabama, securing a victory over Tim Daniels by decision. He quickly developed a significant cult following and earned the moniker "King of the 4 Rounders" due to the overwhelming majority of his fights being scheduled for four rounds. His popularity surged rapidly; his second professional fight was televised nationally, an unusual feat for a new boxer. Esch recounted that he likely had more televised fights than many world champions.

He amassed a long string of victories, predominantly by knockout, before suffering his first defeat on December 15, 1995, when he was stopped in two rounds by last-minute replacement Mitchell Rose. Rose later claimed that he was offered money to throw the match by representatives of Top Rank Boxing. Following this loss, Esch embarked on an impressive run of 51 matches without a defeat, which included wins and draws, though some of his decision victories were considered controversial. While he never defeated an actively ranked heavyweight contender from the four major boxing organizations (WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO), his promoter, Bob Arum, successfully lobbied the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 1997 to create a specific title for him: "The IBA Super Heavyweight Championship." Arum explained that the idea was to solidify his "King of the Four-Rounders" status. Esch defended this title six times before it was relinquished in 0. In the same year, the less prominent World Athletic Association (WAA) briefly awarded him their vacant Heavyweight Title with a similar promotional intent, though this recognition was short-lived after a few poorly received matches.

Esch's five-year unbeaten streak in boxing ended in August 2001 with a majority decision defeat to heavyweight Billy Zumbrun. The following year, on July 27, 2002, he fought his first ten-round bout against 52-year-old former world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia. Holmes won by unanimous decision, but Esch was controversially credited with a knockdown in the final round, which replays later showed to be a slip without a punch landing. This fight was one of only three in his 109-fight career that were scheduled for more than four rounds.

2.2. Kickboxing

Esch transitioned into kickboxing in 2003, recruited by the Japanese promotion K-1. He made a successful debut on June 29, 2003, at K-1 Beast II 2003 in Saitama, Japan, defeating Yusuke Fujimoto by first-round knockout with a left hook. K-1 sought to match him against Ernesto Hoost, but Esch declined the fight after being advised of Hoost's formidable kickboxing prowess.

Instead, he faced Mike Bernardo in a non-tournament bout at the K-1 Survival 2003 Japan Grand Prix Final in Yokohama, Japan, on September 21, 2003. Bernardo effectively used low kicks to target Esch's legs, dropping him twice in the first round before finishing him with a high kick in the second round.

Returning to the K-1 ring on March 14, 2004, at K-1 Beast 2004 in Niigata, Esch suffered a unanimous decision loss to Hiromi Amada. Amada consistently peppered him with low kicks, while Esch offered little offensive action beyond taunting his opponent. He was subsequently scheduled to fight Bob Sapp, but claims that Sapp's management withdrew their fighter after learning Amada required hospital treatment following his bout with Esch. Butterbean's third consecutive K-1 loss occurred on June 26, 2004, at K-1 Beast 2004 in Shizuoka, where he lost a unanimous decision to the 83 in ^{(210.82 cm)} giant Montanha Silva.

On July 29, 2005, Esch competed in the eight-man tournament at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Hawaii in Honolulu. He broke his losing streak in the quarterfinals by securing a third-round standing eight count against the 331 lb ^{(150 kg)} brawler Marcus Royster, leading to a unanimous decision victory. However, he sustained an injury to his left leg during the fight and was unable to continue in the tournament, with Royster re-entering in his place.

His final kickboxing match took place on July 29, 2009, at Moosin II in Seoul, South Korea, where he knocked out 문 보람_{Moon-bi Lam}^Korean with a right hook just 46 seconds into the first round.

2.3. Mixed Martial Arts

Esch's venture into mixed martial arts (MMA) began on December 31, 2003, at K-1 PREMIUM 2003 Dynamite!! in Nagoya, Japan, in an openweight bout against Genki Sudo. Despite holding a significant 243 lb ^{(110 kg)} weight advantage, Esch struggled against Sudo's grappling skills. Sudo avoided striking exchanges, securing a low, single-leg takedown at the end of the first round and attempting a leglock before the bell. Early in the second round, after a failed dropkick attempt by Sudo, the fighters went to the ground, where Sudo capitalized on Esch's limited grappling ability, securing a heel hook submission at 0:41.

Following his MMA debut loss, Esch dedicated himself to the sport, compiling a record of 6 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw in appearances across various organizations, including King of the Cage, Gracie Fightfest, and Rumble on the Rock. A notable victory during this period was a TKO stoppage of Wesley Correira at Rumble on the Rock 8 in Honolulu on January 20, 2006, under special rules limiting ground fighting to fifteen seconds per instance.

He returned to Japan to compete for the Pride Fighting Championships on August 26, 2006, at Pride Bushido 12 in Nagoya, where he faced Ikuhisa Minowa, a shoot wrestler known for fighting much larger opponents. Esch lost via armbar submission at 4:25 of the first round.

Esch was scheduled to fight Mark Hunt at Pride's first North American event, Pride 32, in Las Vegas on October 21, 2006. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission deemed Hunt's victories over Wanderlei Silva and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović as giving him an unfair grappling advantage, preventing the match. Although Pride initially cited "visa issues," it was later confirmed the NSAC's ruling was the cause. Professional wrestler Sean O'Haire stepped in as Hunt's replacement, and Esch defeated him by TKO in under thirty seconds.

Temporarily leaving Pride, Esch competed in Cage Rage. On December 9, 2006, at Cage Rage 19 in London, England, he lost to Rob Broughton via submission to punches in the second round. He quickly rebounded on February 10, 2007, at Cage Rage 20, securing a 43-second knockout victory over James Thompson.

Esch returned to Pride for its final event, Pride 34, in Saitama, Japan, on April 8, 2007. There, he faced Zuluzinho in a bout where both men weighed approximately 407 lb ^{(184.6 kg)}. After an initial exchange of strikes, Zuluzinho scored a takedown. Esch reversed the position, landed several hammerfists, and ultimately submitted Zuluzinho with a keylock at 2:35 of the opening round.

2.4. Professional Wrestling

Esch made two appearances in World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) professional wrestling events, both featuring boxing matches. On December 7, 1997, at the D-Generation X: In Your House pay-per-view, he defeated former Golden Gloves champion Marc Mero via disqualification in a worked match. Fifteen months later, on March 28, 1999, at WrestleMania XV, Esch defeated WWF Brawl For All champion Bart Gunn in a legitimate shootfight, knocking him out in just 34 seconds.

In 2009, he returned to professional wrestling on the independent circuit. He won the Pro Wrestling Syndicate Heavyweight title by defeating Trent Acid on May 29, 2009, in Garfield, New Jersey. On June 10, 2009, Esch defeated One Man Kru at an OmegaCon charity wrestling event at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center in Birmingham, Alabama. He held the title for nearly a year before losing it to Kevin Matthews on May 9, 2010. Esch also wrestled for Juggalo Championship Wrestling. On April 1, 2011, he teamed with Officer Adam Hadder in a tag-team match against One Man Kru and WWE Hall of Famer Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake at a charity wrestling event that was filmed for an episode of his reality show, Big Law: Deputy Butterbean. On March 31, 2012, he defeated Cliff Compton at the WrestleRama Guyana event in Georgetown, Guyana.

4.1. Television and Film

Esch starred in the reality television documentary Big Law: Deputy Butterbean, which aired on the Investigation Discovery channel in 2011. In the show, he served as a reserve deputy sheriff in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama, and aimed to highlight law enforcement efforts, particularly drug busts, to encourage community involvement in crime reduction. The show was not renewed for a second season.

He appeared in the film Jackass: The Movie (2002) in a public stunt where he engaged in an arranged fight with Johnny Knoxville inside a department store. Esch easily knocked Knoxville to the floor, resulting in several stitches for Knoxville. Despite his formidable ring persona, Knoxville later noted that Esch is quite friendly outside of the ring. Esch also had a role as a museum security guard in the 1998 film Chairman of the Board.

In television, Esch made a guest appearance on Adult Swim's Squidbillies, where he sang the national anthem. He also featured on CMT's Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling as part of Team Beefcake. His name was referenced in an episode of NBC's Parenthood titled "Date Night" on October 5, 2010. In June 2013, he was interviewed on the Australian Fox Sports program Monday Nights with Matty Johns. Esch portrayed "Dr. Butterbean" in a sketch on TruTV's Friends of the People, using his boxing skills as an anesthesiologist in the Season 2 Episode 7 "Great White Haters". On September 22, 2022, he appeared on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud as part of the Tremaine family, competing against the Knoxville family. On January 2, 2024, Esch joined the cast of "Moonshiners" on Discovery Channel, assisting moonshiner Josh Owens after a motorcycle accident.

4.2. Other Media

On July 16, 2005, Esch participated in a bout dubbed "War on the Shore" against Dieter of Rover's Morning Glory radio show in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

In the realm of video games, Esch was featured on the cover and as the final boss character in the 1995 EA Sports game Toughman Contest for the Sega Genesis and Sega 32X. He was also a playable character in all installments of the EA Sports boxing Knockout Kings series. In the 2007 PC game The Witcher, a tavern fistfighter character with a similar physique named "Butter Bean" can be challenged. Esch is also a playable fighter in EA's fifth installment of the Fight Night series, Fight Night Champion.

7.1. Professional Boxing Record

7.2. Professional Kickboxing Record

7.3. Mixed Martial Arts Record