Professional Boxing is known as the “Sweet Science” but corruption, a lack of a central governing body, and the rise of MMA have threatened to end this glorious sport. Mega fights still bring in huge revenues but they are few and far between. Here is a list of 10 incidents that have contributed to the downfall:
10. The Sad Saga of James Butler
Butler was a very promising young fighter from New York City known by the nickname “Harlem Hammer”. In November 2001, James Butler fought Richard “The Alien” Grant. The bout was a charity event to benefit survivors of the September 11 attacks. After losing by unanimous decision Butler made his way to the middle of the ring to purportedly congratulate Grant. Grant reacted by stretching his hand out in a motion to embrace. Instead, Butler (who had already removed his gloves) threw a vicious haymaker to Grant’s face. Richard Grant suffered numerous facial injuries including a broken jaw, lacerated tongue, and several stitches. Butler, in turn, was arrested and convicted of assault and served prison time for the attack.
Unfortunately the tale does not end there. James Butler continued his career after this incident but could never duplicate his earlier success. In October of 2004, Butler was arrested and charged with ******ing Sam Kellerman, brother of HBO Boxing analyst Max Kellermanwith. He (ironically) used a hammer and set his body on fire after a dispute. Butler pled guilty in 2006 and was sentenced to 29 years in prison.