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James Butler (boxer)

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James Butler Jr.
Born (1972-12-18) December 18, 1972 (age 51)
Other namesHarlem Hammer
Statistics
Weight(s)Super middleweight
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights25
Wins20
Wins by KO12
Losses5

James Butler Jr. (born December 18, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1996 to 2004. He challenged once for the IBF super middleweight title in 2000, but he is best known for his infamous bout on November 23, 2001 against Richard Grant where he was arrested after the fight for assault.[1] In 2004, Butler was arrested for the murder of Sam Kellerman and was sentenced to 29 years and four months in prison.

Biography

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Butler started off his career by scoring 18 wins and only 1 loss in the super middleweight division. This led to a title fight against Sven Ottke who beat Butler by unanimous decision.

Butler's next bout earned him infamy. On November 23, 2001, Butler took on Richard Grant on a special edition of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights, which emanated from the Roseland Ballroom in New York City and was part of a charity event designed to raise money to help assist New York police and fire department personnel that survived the September 11 attacks. The two had met earlier in their careers, fighting in 1996 when they were first starting out as professionals, with Grant winning a four-round decision. The fight was scheduled for ten rounds and went the distances, with all three judges scoring the bout for Grant.

As the two men waited for the results, Butler asked for his gloves to be cut off. After Grant was announced the winner, Butler stood in his corner seeming unpleased by the decision. Grant then made his way over to Butler to congratulate him for his effort, but Butler sucker punched the unsuspecting Grant with a right hook that dropped him to the floor. Grant lay dazed on the ring mat and bleeding from the mouth while broadcasters Bob Papa and Teddy Atlas called out for Butler to be arrested on assault charges. [1] Grant suffered a dislocated jaw and lacerated tongue from the unprotected bare knuckle punch, and Butler was eventually convicted of assaulting Grant and spent four months in Rikers Island.[2]

After Butler's assault, he would not return to boxing for three years. Returning as a light heavyweight, he fought four times and lost twice. His last fight was on another ESPN card against former super middleweight contender Omar Sheika, which he lost by split decision on August 10, 2004.

Killing of Sam Kellerman

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On October 12, 2004, writer Sam Kellerman (brother of sports analyst Max Kellerman) was killed at his apartment in Los Angeles. His body was not found until October 17. Butler was considered a suspect since he had been friends with Kellerman for over 10 years.

On October 20, Butler, accompanied by a lawyer, sought treatment for his alleged bipolar disorder.

Butler was arrested for the Kellerman murder on October 27. Two days later, he pleaded not guilty to murder and arson. He was held on $1.25 million bail. Prosecutors claimed that Butler, the only suspect in the case, repeatedly struck Kellerman in the head with a hammer, then torched Kellerman's Hollywood, California apartment in an attempted cover-up.

On July 8, 2005, a Los Angeles judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for Butler to stand trial on charges of murder and arson.

On March 27, 2006, Butler pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and arson in the 2004 death of Kellerman. On April 5, Butler was sentenced to 29 years and four months in prison by Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, according to Deputy Public Defender Jack Keenan.[3]

Prosecutors speculated Butler was having relationship issues with his girlfriend while also struggling to revive his boxing career when Kellerman asked Butler to move out. A disagreement ensued on how long Butler could stay when he picked up a hammer and killed Kellerman, then torched his house.[4]

Professional boxing record

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

References

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  1. ^ a b Wong, Edward (November 27, 2001). ""BOXING; Boxer Barred and Charged For Sucker Punch After Loss"". The New York Times. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Smith, Tim (February 24, 2004). "A sucker no longer boxer back after punch led to jail, ban". New York Daily News. Daily News L.P. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  3. ^ "Boxer pleads guilty to death of sportswriter Kellerman". ESPN.com. ESPN Inc. March 27, 2006. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  4. ^ "Boxer sentenced to nearly 30 years for killing". ESPN.com. ESPN Inc. April 5, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
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