In December 1995, Butterbean delivered one of the most brutal knockouts of his career against Louis Monaco. At that time, the American boxer, whose real name is Eric Esch, was undefeated with a record of 14-0 and was managed by the renowned promoter Bob Arum.
Butterbean, known for his powerful knockouts, had achieved 58 KO victories in his illustrious career. For the Monaco fight, Esch weighed in at a career-low of 300 pounds. Though heavy for most, this was relatively slim for Esch, who once weighed as much as 430 pounds during his 91-fight career (77-10-4).
In his previous bout against Pat Jackson, Esch had weighed 315 pounds, making the Monaco fight significant as he had lost 15 pounds since. Notably, in that earlier fight, Butterbean accidentally knocked down referee Terry Wood at the end of the third round while separating the fighters.
Fortunately for referee Lou Filippo, who officiated the Butterbean-Monaco bout, the match ended quickly. Butterbean knocked down Monaco with his first punch, a sharp right hand, within three seconds of the start. Monaco got up but was soon knocked down again within 30 seconds. Esch then finished the fight with a perfect overhand right, leaving Monaco motionless beneath the ropes, one of the scariest stoppages of Butterbean’s career.
This victory marked Butterbean’s fifteenth consecutive win and his last as an undefeated fighter. Two weeks later, he faced Mitchell Rose, who handed Esch his first professional defeat on the Jesse James Leija vs. Oscar De La Hoya undercard at Madison Square Garden.
Esch continued his career by knocking over carefully selected opponents but often lost when facing higher-caliber fighters. He eventually retired in 2013 after a loss to Kirk Lawton. Despite his retirement, the now-57-year-old Butterbean continues to hint at a possible comeback.
