Okay, so I saw this thing online about James Butler, the boxer, and I got curious. I vaguely remembered the name, but couldn’t place him. So, I decided to do a little digging and, man, what a story this guy has. Here’s what I went through today.
Started with a Simple Search
First, I just punched “James Butler boxer” into the search engine. I wanted the basics – who is this guy? I got the usual stuff – a Wikipedia page, some news articles, and a bunch of boxing record sites.
Getting the Basic Facts
I skimmed the Wikipedia page first. It gave me the overview. He was a professional boxer, fought in the super middleweight division, had a decent, but not superstar, record. I noted down a few key details:
- Born: December 18, 1972, in Harlem, New York.
- Nickname: “The Harlem Hammer”.
- Professional Record: Something like 20 wins, 5 losses (I didn’t write down the exact numbers at this point).
Diving into the Controversy
Okay, so far, so good. A regular boxer, it seemed. But the articles kept hinting at something more. I saw words like “infamous” and “controversy” popping up. So I started clicking on those links. That’s when things got crazy.
The “Cheap Shot” Incident
I learned about this fight he had against Richard Grant. It wasn’t even a title fight, just a regular match. Butler lost the fight. But what happened after the decision was announced is what everyone remembers. Grant went over to congratulate him, and Butler just sucker-punched him, bare-fisted. No gloves. It was brutal. I found some videos – hard to watch. Grant suffered a dislocated jaw and a lacerated tongue.
Absolutely shocking, and i can’t believe what i’ve seen, I’ve never seen anything like that before!
The Aftermath and Legal Troubles
Obviously, Butler got into a ton of trouble for that. I read about the assault charges, the lawsuits, the boxing ban. He spent some time in jail for that punch. It basically ruined his career.
The Tragic End
I kept reading, and this is where the story takes a terrible, tragic turn. The incident above? not the worst of it.
A few years later,I found out from other articles, that
Butler murdered a freelance writer named Sam Kellerman (brother of boxing analyst Max Kellerman). He beat him to death with a hammer and then set his apartment on fire. I felt cold reading that. Just horrific.
Putting it All Together
I spent the rest of the day piecing together this story. I read old news reports, court documents (what I could find, anyway), and forum discussions. It’s a really disturbing story, a descent from a promising, if somewhat troubled, athlete to a convicted murderer. It shows how one moment, one terrible decision, can change everything, not just for the person making it, but for so many others.
It’s a story that’s stuck with me. It’s a reminder that there’s often more to a person than just their public image or their profession. And it’s a sad, cautionary tale about anger, violence, and the devastating consequences that can follow.
