James Butler (boxer)

James Butler Jr. (born December 18, 1972 in Harlem, New York) is an American former light heavyweight boxer, former USBA super middleweight champion. In early 2001, he had a career record of 20-5-0, with 12 wins coming by way of knockout, and was nicknamed "The Harlem Hammer". On November 29, 2001, Butler punched fellow boxer Richard "The Alien" Grant without any gloves on after losing a fight, for which he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Butler was later convicted and served four months at Riker's Island detention facility.^[1] In 2004, Butler was arrested for the murder of Sam Kellerman with a hammer and the arson of his home and, in 2006, 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. After losing by unanimous decision to Richard "The Alien" Grant, 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.^[2] Butler was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Butler was later convicted and served four months at Riker's Island detention facility.^[3]

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, (brother of boxing analyst Max Kellerman), was killed in a homicide but his body was not found until October 17. Butler was considered a suspect; he had been friends with Kellerman for ten years.

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

Butler was arrested for the Kellerman slaying 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 that there was sufficient evidence for Butler to stand trial on the 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.^[4]

The suspected motive for the murder was that Kellerman asked Butler to move out of Kellerman's apartment. Butler, who was struggling to revive his career and suffering through a difficult relationship with his girlfriend and child, picked up a hammer and killed Kellerman and then torched his house.^[5]

Professional boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
25	Loss	20–5	Omar Sheika	SD	10	10 Aug, 2004	Key Skating Center, Bronx, New York, U.S.
24	Win	20–4	Dan Sheehan	UD	6	4 June 2004	Promo West Pavilion, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
23	Win	19–4	Reggie Strickland	UD	6	7 May 2004	Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
22	Loss	18–4	Thomas Reid	UD	8	27 Feb, 2004	Key Skating Center, Bronx, New York, U.S.
21	Loss	18–3	Richard Grant	UD	10	29 Nov, 2001	Roseland Ballroom, New York, New York, U.S.
20	Loss	18–2	Sven Ottke	UD	12	1 Sep 2001	Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany	For IBF super-middleweight title
19	Win	18–1	Jerry Williams	UD	8	24 Mar, 2001	Bördelandhalle, Magdeburg, Germany
18	Win	17–1	Jose Spearman	TKO	6 (12), 0:59	29 Sep, 2000	Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.	Retained USBA super middleweight title
17	Win	16–1	Arthur Allen	TKO	2 (12), 2:03	24 Mar, 2000	Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.	Retained USBA super middleweight title
16	Win	15–1	Bryant Brannon	KO	7 (12), 0:55	29 Oct, 1999	Farm Bureau Building, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.	For USBA super middleweight title
15	Win	14–1	Merqui Sosa	TKO	2 (10), 1:02	16 Jul, 1999	Hampton Beach Casino, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, U.S.
14	Win	13–1	Thomas James	TKO	2 (6)	24 Jun, 1999	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
13	Win	12–1	Jose Hiram Torres	TKO	7 (10)	15 May 1999	Leominster, Massachusetts, U.S.
12	Win	11–1	Calvin Moody	KO	1 (10)	22 Apr, 1999	Virginia, U.S.
11	Win	10–1	Rufat Baku	UD	10	9 Oct, 1998	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
10	Win	9–1	Hector Rosario	TKO	6 (8)	11 Sep, 1998	Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
9	Win	8–1	Tim Dendy	UD	6	24 Mar, 1998	Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, U.S.
8	Win	7–1	Knowledge Bey	KO	3 (4)	24 Jan, 1998	Elks Lodge, Queens, New York, U.S.
7	Win	6–1	Malcolm Brooks	PTS	6	10 Oct, 1997	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
6	Win	5–1	Louis March	PTS	4	19 Sep, 1997	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
5	Win	4–1	Robert Muhammad	KO	6 (6)	18 Jun, 1997	Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
4	Win	3–1	Gerald Holmes	KO	1 (4)	11 Apr, 1997	Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, New York, U.S.
3	Loss	2–1	Richard Grant	PTS	4	31 Jan, 1997	Yonkers Raceway, Yonkers, New York, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Derrick Whitley	PTS	4	2 Nov, 1996	Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Eddie Johnson	TKO	1 (4)	18 Oct, 1996	Bronx, New York, U.S.	Professional debut

References

External links

• Professional boxing record for James Butler from BoxRec
• James Butler Deserves Ban From Boxing