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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.
James Butler Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 18, 1972 Harlem, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Harlem Hammer |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Super middleweight |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 25 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Wins by KO | 12 |
| Losses | 5 |
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.
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]
| 25 fights | 20 wins | 5 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 12 | 0 |
| By decision | 8 | 5 |
| 25 | Loss | 20–5 |  Omar Sheika |
SD | 10 | August 10, 2004 | Essex County College, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
|
| 24 | Win | 20–4 | Dan Sheehan |
UD | 6 | June 4, 2004 | PromoWest Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
|
| 23 | Win | 19–4 | Reggie Strickland |
UD | 6 | May 7, 2004 | Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
|
| 22 | Loss | 18–4 | Thomas Reid |
UD | 8 | February 27, 2004 | Key Skating Center, Bronx, New York, U.S. |
|
| 21 | Loss | 18–3 |  Richard Grant |
UD | 10 | November 23, 2001 | Roseland Ballroom, New York, New York, U.S. |
|
| 20 | Loss | 18–2 |  Sven Ottke |
UD | 12 | September 1, 2001 | Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany |
For IBF super-middleweight title |
| 19 | Win | 18–1 | Jerry Williams |
UD | 8 | March 24, 2001 | Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany |
|
| 18 | Win | 17–1 | Jose Spearman |
TKO | 6 (12), 0:59 | September 29, 2000 | Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
Retained USBA super middleweight title |
| 17 | Win | 16–1 | Arthur Allen |
TKO | 2 (12), 2:03 | March 24, 2000 | The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Retained USBA super middleweight title |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Bryant Brannon |
KO | 7 (12), 0:55 | October 29, 1999 | Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
For USBA super middleweight title |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 |  Merqui Sosa |
TKO | 2 (10), 1:02 | July 16, 1999 | Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, U.S. |
|
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Thomas James |
TKO | 2 (6) | June 24, 1999 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
|
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Jose Hiram Torres |
TKO | 7 (10) | May 15, 1999 | Leominster, Massachusetts, U.S. |
|
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Calvin Moody |
KO | 1 (10) | April 22, 1999 | Virginia, U.S. |
|
| 11 | Win | 10–1 |  Rufat Baku |
UD | 10 | October 9, 1998 | Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S. |
|
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Hector Rosario |
TKO | 6 (8) | September 11, 1998 | Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
|
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Tim Dendy |
UD | 6 | March 24, 1998 | Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S. |
|
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Knowledge Bey |
KO | 3 (4) | January 24, 1998 | Elks Lodge, Queens, New York, U.S. |
|
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Malcolm Brooks |
PTS | 6 | October 10, 1997 | Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S. |
|
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Louis March |
PTS | 4 | September 19, 1997 | Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S. |
|
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Robert Muhammad |
KO | 6 (6) | June 18, 1997 | Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
|
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | Gerald Holmes |
KO | 1 (4) | April 11, 1997 | Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S. |
|
| 3 | Loss | 2–1 | Richard Grant |
PTS | 4 | January 31, 1997 | Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
|
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Derrick Whitley |
PTS | 4 | November 2, 1996 | Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
|
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Eddie Johnson |
TKO | 1 (4) | October 18, 1996 | Bronx, New York, U.S. |
Professional debut |
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