James Butler (boxer)


James Butler Jr. is a retired American 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. Butler brutally sucker punched Richard Grant after losing the fight and served four months at Rikers Island. In 2004, Butler was arrested for the murder of Sam Kellerman and was sentenced to 29 years and four months in prison.

Biography

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, at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. The bout was a charity event to benefit surviving New York firemen and police officers of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and was televised live on ESPN2. Butler faced Richard "The Alien" Grant, a fighter who had decisioned him early in his career. After losing the rematch by unanimous decision, Butler had his gloves removed before the announcement of the winner, Grant then went to Butler's side of the ring for an expected exchange of congratulations. Instead, Butler sucker-punched Grant, nailing a bare-handed right hook to his jaw. Grant suffered a temporarily dislocated jaw and a lacerated tongue that required 26 stitches. Butler was arrested and charged with 2nd degree assault. Butler was later convicted and served four months at Rikers Island detention facility.
Butler's last bout was a split-decision loss on August 10, 2004, to Omar Sheika.

Murder of Sam Kellerman and conviction

On October 12, 2004, writer Sam 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.
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.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
25Loss20–5 Omar Sheika1010 August 2004 Essex County College, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
24Win20–4 Dan SheehanUD64 June 2004 PromoWest Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
23Win19–4 Reggie StricklandUD67 May 2004 Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
22Loss18–4 Thomas ReidUD827 February 2004 Key Skating Center, Bronx, New York, U.S.
21Loss18–3 Richard GrantUD1029 November 2001 Roseland Ballroom, New York, New York, U.S.
20Loss18–2 Sven OttkeUD121 September 2001 Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, GermanyFor IBF super-middleweight title
19Win18–1 Jerry WilliamsUD824 March 2001 Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany
18Win17–1 Jose SpearmanTKO6, 0:5929 September 2000 Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.Retained USBA super middleweight title
17Win16–1 Arthur AllenTKO2, 2:0324 March 2000 The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.Retained USBA super middleweight title
16Win15–1 Bryant BrannonKO7, 0:5529 October 1999 Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.For USBA super middleweight title
15Win14–1 Merqui SosaTKO2, 1:0216 July 1999 Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, U.S.
14Win13–1 Thomas JamesTKO2 24 June 1999 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
13Win12–1 Jose Hiram TorresTKO7 15 May 1999 Leominster, Massachusetts, U.S.
12Win11–1 Calvin MoodyKO1 22 April 1999 Virginia, U.S.
11Win10–1 Rufat BakuUD109 October 1998 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
10Win9–1 Hector RosarioTKO6 11 September 1998 Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
9Win8–1 Tim Dendy624 March 1998 Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.
8Win7–1 Knowledge BeyKO3 24 January 1998 Elks Lodge, Queens, New York, U.S.
7Win6–1 Malcolm BrooksPTS610 October 1997 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
6Win5–1 Louis MarchPTS419 September 1997 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
5Win4–1 Robert MuhammadKO6 18 June 1997 Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
4Win3–1 Gerald Holmes1 11 April 1997 Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
3Loss2–1 Richard GrantPTS431 January 1997 Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
2Win2–0 Derrick Whitley42 November 1996 Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
1Win1–0 Eddie Johnson1 18 October 1996 Bronx, New York, U.S.Professional debut