Boxing icon Eric 'Butterbean' Esch claims he is in the best shape he has ever been in and wants to fight Jake Paul.
The former heavyweight retired from fighting in 2013, but is now eyeing a return to the ring next year after shifting a tonne of weight.
Esch has been working with former WWE star Diamond Dallas Page, who runs his own yoga business.
He said on social media: "I’m working with DDP to get up walking and running around again and I’m feeling the best shape I ever have.
"I’m at fight weight. You’ll have to listen to my podcast coming up to find exactly how much weight I have lost, but I haven’t weighed this in over 20 years so that’ll give you an idea.
"The big announcement is I’m gonna fight one last fight. It’s gonna be one year from now. Jake Paul, if you’re ready, I’m here for you my friend. Let’s get it on, me and you Jake Paul.
"I bet it would be an awesome fight. After you said what you said about me in the magazine, I’m ready to fight you. Are you ready? I don’t think so."
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, who is 5-0 in his professional career, previously dismissed comparisons to Butterbean as just a special attraction with no potential of being a major world champion. "They can go f*** off," he said in November 2020 about fans who think is the new Esch.
He's yet to respond to the callout from the "King of four rounders", who became a sensation in the sport in the late 90s and early noughties. Butterbean, who earned his nickname when he had to go on a strict diet of chicken and butterbeans for a toughman contest, was must-see TV thanks to his knockout power.
He only went past the fourth round once in his career and went on a near six-year unbeaten streak between 1995 and 2001. In that time he successfully defended the IBA Super heavyweight championship on five occasions.
His celebrity landed him gigs in the entertainment world before he tried his hand at MMA and kickboxing. His career began to wind down, though, with six defeats in his last 10 boxing outings taking the shine off his star power.
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