September 13, 1997 saw Eric Butterbean Esch put his IBA World Super Heavyweight title on the line against the surprisingly durable “Cowboy” Billy Eaton.

Eric Scott Esch (born August 3, 1966), commonly referred to as Butterbean, is an American former professional boxer, kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and professional wrestler who competed in the heavyweight division. He also is a minor television personality, having appeared in several programs and been referenced by many others. Esch transitioned to professional boxing in 1994 following a successful stint on the Toughman Contest scene and went on to capture the World Athletic Association (WAA) heavyweight and IBA super heavyweight championships.

Beginning in 2003, he began fighting regularly as a kickboxer and mixed martial artist, most notably in K-1 and the Pride Fighting Championships. Butterbean’s combined fight record stands at 97–24–5 with 66 knockouts and 10 submissions.

Cowboy was just 7-1-1 when he fought Butterbean and would finish off his boxing career with a less than glorious 14-3-2 record which by boxing standards displays a bit of a short-lived career.

None the less, Cowboy came to fight that evening in September and much to the surprise of not only Butterbean, but probably every person in attendance, absolutely drilled Butterbean with the very first punch thrown.

However; would that be enough to put down the wily and seasoned veteran and crown a new IBA World Super Heavyweight Champion or would this simply be an opportunity for the legend that has become Butterbean to build his reputation and show that he is much more than 300+ lb. behemoth with a decent chin?

Check out the video below to see exactly how this world title fight goes down.

“>

Jacob C. Stevens is a lifelong athlete and cerebral martial arts enthusiast who is also skilled in the art of linguistic manipulation, his published work, Afterthoughts and Handgrenades, can be found here…