Butterbean ripped into Jake Paul’s boxing s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s in 2022 while also speaking out about Mike Tyson, suggesting the former heavyweight champion will have an easy night’s work when the pair meet on July 20. The 57-year-old was speaking two years before their fight was announced and went so far as to call out the duo in the interview, before later referring to Tyson as a “friend.”
Paul and Tyson will face off at the AT&T Arena in Texas. While Butterbean, whose real name is Erich Esch, has not shared his thoughts on the event, his past comments give a hint of how he expects the fight to play out.
In 2022, he told The Sun: “I’m not a typical boxer, I go out and fight. I want to knock someone out. Jake Paul or Mike Tyson. Jake Paul talks too much, he’s never fought anyone, I would love to fight him.”
Butterbean is a former MMA and professional wrestling star who last competed in 2013. After undergoing a significant lifestyle change, which saw him lose a significant amount of weight thanks to the DDP Yoga program championed by WWE icon Diamond Dallas Page, he plans to return to boxing.
He added in 2022: “I think people would like to see me and Tyson fight, which would be a big draw. Tyson and I are friends, but I don’t mind fighting friends.” Despite previously being offered the chance to step into the ring with Tyson in 2020, Butterbean turned down the fight due to his weight reaching an alarming 500 pounds.
“I was in that dark place,” he admitted. “There was no way it was possible. I’m alive right now, I’m ready to go. And Mike is in great shape, it would be an incredible fight. We would both come to fight, Mike won’t run away from me. That’s where his big mistake would be. “I’ve trained a lot with Buster Mathis, so I know Tyson’s style.”
It should be noted that there have been health-related concerns surrounding Tyson taking on Paul, who is 30 years his junior. These concerns were heightened following an incident on May 27, where Tyson experienced a medical emergency during a flight to Los Angeles.
The 57-year-old boxer experienced nausea and dizziness during the flight, due to what reports suggest may have been a flare-up of a stomach ulcer. However, the New York native later reassured fans by providing an update on his condition via X/Twitter, stating: “I feel 100 percent now even though I don’t need to be to beat Jake Paul.”
