Boxing legend Butterbean has claimed that a “scam” is involved in the planned fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
The controversial match, criticized for the three-decade age gap, was originally set for June 20. However, Tyson, 58, was forced to pull out due to health concerns. Instead, Jake Paul, 27, defeated replacement fighter Mike Perry, 32, after three knockdowns and then confirmed his rescheduled bout with Tyson for November 15.
But KO icon Butterbean—real name Eric Esch—insisted that the fight will never happen.
He stated, “Jake and Tyson are never going to fight. This has been a scam from the very beginning just to boost Jake’s name—and it worked.”
“This guy, everyone’s talking about him, but he’s never going to fight Tyson. They were never planning on fighting each other because a promoter would never let him fight someone else in between such a big fight.”
“Never—no promoter would allow that for such a significant fight. It’s been a scam from the start.”
During his prime, Butterbean weighed as much as 36 STONE (approximately 504 lbs) and only went past the fourth round once—against the great Larry Holmes.
His last boxing match was in 2013, but he has hinted at a comeback after losing a stunning 14 STONE (approximately 196 lbs). Butterbean has expressed a desire to fight Jake Paul, challenging him to a £1.5 million winner-takes-all bout.
He stated on TikTok, “Hey Jake Paul, would you fight me for $2 million [£1.5 million]? Winner takes all.”
Butterbean, now 57, had over 100 fights across boxing, kickboxing, and MMA, as well as a stint in professional wrestling.
He lost a significant amount of weight after participating in a TV show alongside former wrestler Diamond Dallas Page.
Butterbean fought in 91 boxing matches—compared to Jake Paul’s 11, who holds a record of 10-1.
Jake Paul’s only loss came in 2023 against Tommy Fury, the brother of Tyson Fury, in Saudi Arabia, but he has since won four fights. Butterbean weighed 37 STONE (518 lbs) during his prime but has recently shed 14 STONE.
