James Butler (boxer) facts for kids

James Butler Jr. (born December 18, 1972) is a former professional boxer from the United States. He competed in boxing from 1996 to 2004. He once fought for the IBF super middleweight championship in 2000. However, he is most known for an unusual event that happened during a fight in 2001.

Boxing Career

James Butler Jr. began his boxing career very successfully. He won 18 fights and lost only one in the super middleweight division. This impressive start led him to a big championship fight against Sven Ottke. However, Butler lost this fight by a unanimous decision from the judges.

The Richard Grant Fight

On November 23, 2001, Butler had another important fight against Richard Grant. This match was part of a special event to help raise money. The money was for police and firefighters in New York who had helped after the September 11 attacks.

Butler and Grant had fought before, back in 1996, when they were new to professional boxing. Grant had won that first match. This second fight was scheduled for ten rounds, and it lasted the whole time. All three judges decided that Richard Grant was the winner.

After the fight ended, the two boxers waited for the results. When Grant was announced as the winner, Butler seemed unhappy. Grant then walked over to Butler to shake his hand and congratulate him. But Butler unexpectedly hit Grant. Grant fell to the floor, looking confused. Butler was later arrested for this action. He spent four months in jail because of it.

Return to Boxing

After this incident, Butler did not box for three years. When he returned, he moved to a different weight class called light heavyweight. He fought four more times, but he lost two of those matches. His last professional fight was on August 10, 2004. He lost that fight by a close decision.

Later Life

In October 2004, a writer named Sam Kellerman passed away in his apartment. James Butler had been friends with Kellerman for over 10 years. Butler was later arrested in connection with Kellerman's death.

On March 27, 2006, Butler admitted to causing Kellerman's death and setting fire to his apartment. On April 5, he was given a sentence of 29 years and four months in prison. Prosecutors believed that a disagreement happened when Kellerman asked Butler to move out.

Professional Boxing Record

25	Loss	20–5	Omar Sheika	SD	10	August 10, 2004	Essex County College, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
24	Win	20–4	Dan Sheehan	UD	6	June 4, 2004	PromoWest Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
23	Win	19–4	Reggie Strickland	UD	6	May 7, 2004	Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
22	Loss	18–4	Thomas Reid	UD	8	February 27, 2004	Key Skating Center, Bronx, New York, U.S.
21	Loss	18–3	Richard Grant	UD	10	November 23, 2001	Roseland Ballroom, New York, New York, U.S.
20	Loss	18–2	Sven Ottke	UD	12	September 1, 2001	Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany	For IBF super-middleweight title
19	Win	18–1	Jerry Williams	UD	8	March 24, 2001	Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany
18	Win	17–1	Jose Spearman	TKO	6 (12), 0:59	September 29, 2000	Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.	Retained USBA super middleweight title
17	Win	16–1	Arthur Allen	TKO	2 (12), 2:03	March 24, 2000	The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Retained USBA super middleweight title
16	Win	15–1	Bryant Brannon	KO	7 (12), 0:55	October 29, 1999	Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.	For USBA super middleweight title
15	Win	14–1	Merqui Sosa	TKO	2 (10), 1:02	July 16, 1999	Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, U.S.
14	Win	13–1	Thomas James	TKO	2 (6)	June 24, 1999	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
13	Win	12–1	Jose Hiram Torres	TKO	7 (10)	May 15, 1999	Leominster, Massachusetts, U.S.
12	Win	11–1	Calvin Moody	KO	1 (10)	April 22, 1999	Virginia, U.S.
11	Win	10–1	Rufat Baku	UD	10	October 9, 1998	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
10	Win	9–1	Hector Rosario	TKO	6 (8)	September 11, 1998	Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
9	Win	8–1	Tim Dendy	UD	6	March 24, 1998	Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.
8	Win	7–1	Knowledge Bey	KO	3 (4)	January 24, 1998	Elks Lodge, Queens, New York, U.S.
7	Win	6–1	Malcolm Brooks	PTS	6	October 10, 1997	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
6	Win	5–1	Louis March	PTS	4	September 19, 1997	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
5	Win	4–1	Robert Muhammad	KO	6 (6)	June 18, 1997	Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
4	Win	3–1	Gerald Holmes	KO	1 (4)	April 11, 1997	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
3	Loss	2–1	Richard Grant	PTS	4	January 31, 1997	Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Derrick Whitley	PTS	4	November 2, 1996	Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Eddie Johnson	TKO	1 (4)	October 18, 1996	Bronx, New York, U.S.	Professional debut