Butterbean was incredibly dropped by first punch of fight in just five seconds but managed to earn controversial draw

Butterbean found himself in serious adversity just seconds after the opening bell of his clash with Billy Eaton.

The American icon – real name Eric Esch- became a prominent figure in the sport, with the powerful heavyweight seen as a cult hero to fans who were fascinated by his unique physique.

Esch didn’t reach the pinnacle of the sport by becoming world champion, but had a huge highlight reel of entertaining KOs from his days in the spotlight.

But one fight night that didn’t go his way, came against Eaton in 1997, a fight he was expected to win.

At the time he had been beaten just once in his career by Mitchell Rose in 1995, and he was desperate to keep hold of his record.

But after just seconds it was a rude awakening for Esch, as the pair charged out for the start of the round.

He quickly found himself on the receiving end of a crunching left hand from Eaton which sent him immediately stumbling.

The heavy-handed star crashed to a knee on the canvas, leaving the crowd stunned at what had just played out.

Luckily after his opponent was pushed away, he was able tyo recover and beat the referee’s count, but looked visibly stunned from the shot that quickly hit the target.

As shown in his career he proved that he was durable and managed to get back into the contest against ‘Cowboy’ who had certainly come to put on a show.

Unfortunately he was unable to turn the tide of the momentum throughout though, as despite having spells of success, Eaton was able to establish his gameplan.

His rival tactically chose to hit and run particularly in the final two stanzas where he lacked the energy to push the pace, but it did its job in frustrating Esch.

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But controversially the 300lbs behemoth was able to earn himself a controversial draw, despite the boxing world and many inside the arena believing he had lost.

It meant he retained his super-heavyweight belt, wrongly in the eyes of many, but ensured he didn’t lose for the second time in the professional ranks.

The four round match-up set the tone for the rest of his career where he continued to stick at the format under mixed success.

He was extremely active throughout his career going on to fight another two times that year.

The pair then eventually rematched in March 1998, and this time Esch was able to stop his rival in the same format.

He knocked his rival out in the third round and put in a much more fan-friendly and improved performance than in his previous struggle to settle the scores.

Esch did go on to have a high-profile career emerging as a superstar, which even earned him his most notable contest with Larry Holmes in 2002.

He unfortunately was comfortably beaten by Holmes despite scoring a late knockdown, but it sent his name firmly into new stardom.

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Esch went on to have incredible activity in his career, finishing with a professional record of 77-10-4.

The giant also fought in MMA, kickboxing and even wrestling alongside his boxing career with his love for combat sports competition undeniable.

Unfortunately he was forced to retire in 2013 after suffering his third consecutive defeat to Kirk Lawton, a period plagued by health issues.

In the present day, he has been able to turn around his health and looks unrecognisable having shed near 200lbs.

He has even called out YouTube star Jake Paul for a fight, and is adamant that he is in fit shape to return.

The now 58-year-old has even posted training footage of himself cracking the bag, and is convinced he still holds his trademark power.