http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1...an-joins-hollywood-bennett-title-card/?cs=306 American Butterbean joins Hollywood Bennett title card By BRETT KEEBLE March 29, 2013, 10:30 p.m. LARGER than life American former super-heavyweight boxing champion "Butterbean" will beef up the undercard of Newcastle boxer Chad "Hollywood" Bennett's international title fight at Newcastle Entertainment Centre this year. Born in Bay City, Michigan, as Eric Esch but better known by his nickname, 46-year-old Butterbean has an international cult following due to his colourful career as a boxer, professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and, more recently, star of his own reality television show. According to different internet websites, Butterbean tips the scales somewhere between 171 and 191 kilograms, or 27 and 30 stone. Las Vegas-based promoter Vlad Warton, Kostya Tszyu's former manager, confirmed yesterday that Bennett would defend his World Boxing Organisation Asia-Pacific and World Boxing Association Pan-African junior welterweight titles against Ghana's Ebenezer Lamptey at the NEC on June 29. Warton said Butterbean would take on Newcastle MMA fighter Kirk Lawton, a former Newcastle Rugby League representative prop forward, on the undercard. Butterbean would make appearances on television and in the Newcastle community as part of his pre-fight publicity commitments, Warton said. "Butterbean is locked in. We've contracted Butterbean, he's definitely coming along, and he'll create a lot of publicity and a lot of interest with the Novocastrian and Australian fans, because he's quite a character," Warton told the Newcastle Herald yesterday. "He has his own reality show, he's a sheriff here, he's performed 90 professional fights, he's fought MMA boxing, so he'll be huge. "We'll have to buy him two seats on the aeroplane to get him there." Butterbean's professional boxing record stands at 77 wins (58 by knock-out) from 90 professional fights, according to the boxrec.com website. As a deputy sheriff in his home town of Jasper, Alabama, he is the star of Big Law: Deputy Butterbean. In the publicity blurb for that TV program on the IMDB.com website, "Butterbean barrelled into the national ring in the '90s like a 400-pound wrecking ball clad in American flag shorts. "Now, Butterbean is taking his hard-earned, tough guy reputation to the streets of his home town: he's been deputised by the Walker County Sheriff's office, and he's on a one-man mission to bring back a sense of community safety, no matter how many butts he has to kick." Bennett is ranked No. 6 (WBO) and No. 14 (WBA) in those organisations' February world rankings. Lamptey has won 22 of 23 fights, 17 by knock-out. "The WBO have said if I beat Lamptey I'll be slotted in around number two or number three and I'll definitely be up for a world title fight, probably in Vegas," Bennett said. Warton said two-time former Commonwealth champion James Armah, whom Bennett twice defeated last year, would fight Sydney's former International Boxing Federation world lightweight champion Lenny Zappavigna in one of the main preliminaries. He said the undercard should include Athens Olympian and former World Boxing Foundation world super middleweight champion Jamie Pittman, and Newcastle boxers Will Sands and Ben Forbes. See your ad here "Chad will be the headline fight, Butterbean will be a special attraction, and it will be a very exciting event in more ways than one. "Chad will defend his Asia-Pacific and Pan-African titles, and it may even be for an IBO inter-continental title as well, we're just in discussions about that. "We're looking to produce a top undercard of fights for the event to attract all the local fans to support Chad en route to a world title opportunity. "God willing, when he wins on June 29th, he will definitely be in line for a shot at the world title."
Should be a good win in front of a large home crowd at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. It will be interesting to see if his crowd drawing power in the city has improved considering the coverage he is beginning to receive in the local media. With a good card on the crowd should be quite a good one
This content is protected Another circus rolling into town. Love that Bean - all 400 pounds of him :good
Its funny how bennetts last victim is on the under card seems like they owe him a fight or something very fishy indeed
This is of interest. With Mike Alvarado and Rios in the picture here. Do you think there's a possible match up? :think
It would be a hard baby to hug. It's a 70 year olds name, I bet he got a pipe for his third birthday. Chad sounds like the dirt that builds up on a mudflap.
