Butterbean still treats himself to certain meal since huge weight loss | Boxing | Sport

Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch has shed a phenomenal 16 stone – but he still can’t resist a good steak. The former heavyweight star, who rose to fame in the 90s with his knockout power, has made a remarkable comeback from what he described as the brink of death.

At his heaviest, Butterbean weighed over 36 stone (515lbs) and was bound to a wheelchair. His transformation, driven by yoga and dietary changes, has seen him lose just over 16 stone (225lbs) and enabled him to undergo vital hip surgery.

Esch, 58, is back in better shape and has been vocal about wanting one last fight, calling out Jake Paul on multiple occasions. Butterbean made it possible by cutting out certain foods, but the fan favourite has admitted that he still indulges in steak.

“I try to stay away from bread and wheat and dairy,” Esch told AL when discussing his improved diet. “I still like a good steak.”

Butterbean retired in 2013 with a boxing record of 77-10-4, including 57 KOs. Despite being a formidable opponent in the ring, Butterbean struggled away from the sport and almost gave up the fight before working with WWE legend Diamond Dallas Page. 

“It was just two years ago, and I was in a dark place,” Butterbean said. “I had been in a wheelchair for 3 years and I was waiting to die. I was not so sure I would live.

“Thank God for former pro wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. DDP has a program in Atlanta called DDPY (Diamond Dallas Page Yoga). I never thought his program could help a 515-pound man by doing yoga. But DDP helped me buy-in, and he saved my life.”

Now tipping the scales at 290lbs, the former MMA fight and professional wrestler has set his mind on an astounding comeback. Butterbean has thrown down the gauntlet to influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul (10-1), who is preparing for a controversial fight next month after luring boxing legend Mike Tyson out of retirement.

“I’d love to fight Jake Paul, but he’s too smart to fight me,” Butterbean told Chris Van Vliet last year. “I’m being honest. I’m not saying he’s a coward or anything like that, but I would destroy him,” also admitting, “I think he knows. I hit way too hard for him.

“He made a statement a while back about me when he said, ‘I’m not like Butterbean; I’m not a joke’. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to fight him. If he thinks I’m a joke, I want to fight him.”