Butterbean names clobbering stoppage over former Vitali Klitschko opponent as his favorite knockout

Originally posted on Bloody Knockout | By Donal Long | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 10:19 AM ET

Eric Esch, better known as Butterbean, is a beloved figure in the world of boxing as he produced some incredible knockouts in his career.

Ending his career with a record of 77-10-4, the fighter was known as the king of the four-round fights, as he almost exclusively would not compete in bouts scheduled for more rounds.

Butterbean faced the likes of Larry Holmes in his memorable career and has recently expressed an interest in making a return to the ring.

However, if he does not put on the gloves again, Butterbean has still provided fans with plenty of entertainment. This includes one vicious knockout that Esch named as his favorite.

Butterbean says that his knockout over Louis Monaco is his favorite ever finish

Scoring 57 wins by knockout, Butterbean was not short on options when asked by Boxing King Media what his favorite stoppage was.

With little hesitation, Esch responded, “One of them that I remember really well was Louis Monaco.”

Butterbean scored a first-round knockout over Monaco in 1995, in what was the second professional bout of the defeated fighter’s career.

However, it was not the nature or technique of the early stoppage that caused Esch to look back favorably on the finish. Instead, it was the career that Monaco went on to have.

“Monaco ended up knocking out Buster Douglas, he knocked out Kevin McBride.” Butterbean then referenced Monaco’s 1998 loss to Vitali Klitschko.

Although Monaco did land a knockout blow on the former Mike Tyson opponent Douglas, the punch came after the bell, and was disqualified as a result.

Esch scored his knockout over Monaco just under the two-minute mark of the fight, but also knocked the fighter down in the opening seconds.

Butterbean’s win over Louis Monaco improved his unbeaten record to 15-0

Fighting at the age of 29, Esch’s win over Monaco improved his unbeaten record to 15-0.

The fighter had only made his professional debut the year prior, but was quickly attaining highlights with his performances.

Despite his impressive win over Monaco, Butterbean’s winning streak would be snapped in his next fight. Fighting on Oscar De La Hoya’s undercard, Esch suffered a shock loss.

Facing Mitchell Rose, who had a professional record of 1-7-1, Butterbean was stopped in the second round of the fight. The surprising loss meant that the heavyweight’s record fell to 15-1.

This article first appeared on Bloody Knockout and was syndicated with permission.

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