Remembering Boxing’s Worst Cheap Shot

“Harlem Hammer” James Butler, ranked eighth in the
world at the time and inching towards a 168 lb. world title shot, had just lost
a unanimous decision to Richard “The Alien” Grant and appeared to be
headed over to hug his opponent. However, rather than a congratulatory hug,
Butler let loose with a gloveless sucker punch to Grant’s jaw, which broke
bone, cracked teeth, and sliced tongue.

As Grant fell to the canvas, blood poured from his mouth as
his trainers and ringside medics rushed to his side. The ESPN Friday Night
Fights broadcast team called for the arrest of the “punk” Butler.

“James Butler should never be allowed in the ring
again…absolutely,” said Bob Papa, on-air, right after the ugly incident. “That
is assault, that is assault. He should be arrested on the spot…That is
assault and battery! What a punk, James Butler….He was a coward and couldn’t
get it during the fight and he sucker punched him.”

Charged with aggravated assault, Butler would serve four
months at the Riker’s Island detention facility for the attack.

Luckily, Grant suffered no permanent injury from the attack
that necessitated 26 stitches and would move on to have several high-profile
bouts, although he never quite became successful at the world class level.

Despite having talked very little about the ugly incident,
Grant did say this not too long after the egregious foul:

 “I won the fight. He
(Butler) can do whatever he wants after the fight, but the fact remains that I
beat him. Regardless of whether he gets jail time for what he did or not, his
boxing career his finished. It’s over. He’s done.”

Upon release from prison and after a long period of
inactivity, Butler would seek the help of longtime friend Sam Kellerman
(brother of former HBO commentator and current ESPN pundit Max Kellerman), but
would wind up killing him in 2004 over what appeared to be a dispute over the
fighter being forced to move from Kellerman’s residence.

Butler, who claims to suffer from bi-polar disorder, is
currently serving a 29-year sentence for the murder.

See the entire incident below:

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