Lionel Butler

Lionel Butler (born July 25, 1967) is an American former professional boxer. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 bout with Lennox Lewis.

Professional career

Butler made his professional debut on February 24, 1989 in a losing effort to future contender Phil Jackson. In his second fight, Butler was knocked out in the second round by the debuting future Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe on March 6 of that year. The following month, Butler would pick up his first victory against Michael Carroll. Butler struggled during the early portion of his career, going 6–10–1 in his first 17 fights, however, Butler's fortune would change in 1991, as he racked up three consecutive first round knockouts during that year and followed with 13 more knockout victories from 1992 to 1994 (one victory was later changed to a no-contest after Butler failed a drug test after the fight). During his 16-fight undefeated streak, Butler scored victories over such fighters as former WBA heavyweight champions Tony Tubbs (whom Butler dispatched in less than one round)^[1] and James "Bonecrusher" Smith, while also winning both the IBO and California heavyweight title on February 23, 1993 with a victory over Tony Willis. Butler's success was halted in 1993 when a positive test for marijuana earned Butler a six-month suspension and he was subsequently stripped of both heavyweight titles as a result.^[2] Butler rebounded and in 1995, now ranked the number two heavyweight by WBC would get his first high profile match, as he was matched up against Lennox Lewis, who had recently lost his title to Oliver McCall, in a "eliminator" bout with the winner earning the right to fight for the WBC heavyweight championship. Butler, however, came into the fight grossly out-of-shape at 261 pounds and was thoroughly outboxed by Lewis, who knocked Butler out in the fifth round. Following his loss to Lewis, Butler was never quite able to reach the level of success he had obtained from 1991 to 1994. Butler would win the World Boxing Federation (WBF) heavyweight title in January 23, 1997 after defeating Marcos Gonzalez by first round knockout,^[3] but would lose to up-and-coming heavyweights Chris Byrd and Michael Grant. In 1998, Butler would challenge the undefeated Danish boxer Brian Nielsen for the IBO heavyweight title, but was knocked out in the first round. Butler would then take a three-year hiatus from boxing before returning in January 2002. Butler would win the first four fights of his comeback before meeting the once highly regarded knockout artist Andre Purlette, who promptly knocked out Butler in the second round. Butler would again leave boxing after the Purlette fight, but would launch one more comeback in 2009. He would go 1–2 in three fights between 2009 and 2010 before retiring for good following a loss to Damian Wills on June 12, 2010.^[4]

Professional boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
38	Win	24–12–1 (1)	Salvador Maciel	TKO	1 (10), 0:55	17 Oct 1996	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, US
37	Loss	23–12–1 (1)	Chris Byrd	TKO	8 (10), 0:57	23 Apr, 1996	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
36	Win	23–11–1 (1)	Mauricio Villegas	TKO	2 (10), 2:11	18 Mar 1996	County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, US
35	Loss	22–11–1 (1)	Lennox Lewis	TKO	5 (12), 2:55	13 May 1995	ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, US	WBC title eliminator
34	Win	22–10–1 (1)	James Flowers	TKO	1 (10), 1:53	1 Mar, 1995	Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
33	NC	21–10–1 (1)	Eric Curry	TKO	3 (10), 3:00	26 Apr, 1994	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.	Originally a TKO 3 win for Butler, changed to a NC as Butler tested positive for an illegal substance
32	Win	21–10–1	Jerry Jones	RTD	1 (10), 3:00	8 Feb, 1994	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.	Jones was unable to continue after round one due to a severe cut above the right eye
31	Win	20–10–1	James Smith	TKO	3 (10), 2:19	18 Jan, 1994	Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
30	Win	19–10–1	Lawrence Carter	TKO	1 (10), 2:39	16 Nov, 1993	Casino Magic, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, U.S.
29	Win	18–10–1	Tim Bullock	TKO	1 (?)	27 May, 1993	Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
28	Win	17–10–1	Jesse Shelby	TKO	4 (?)	4 May, 1993	McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado, U.S.
27	Win	16–10–1	Craig Payne	RTD	7 (10), 3:00	26 Mar, 1993	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.	The bout was halted after round 7 because of an injury to Payne's eye
26	Win	15–10–1	Tony Willis	TKO	5 (10), 2:15	23 Feb, 1993	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.	Won vacant IBO Heavyweight title
25	Win	14–10–1	John Morton	TKO	5 (10), 2:43	4 Nov, 1992	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.
24	Win	13–10–1	Tony Tubbs	KO	1 (10), 3:00	18 Aug, 1992	Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
23	Win	12–10–1	David Dixon	DQ	4 (?)	11 May, 1992	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.	Dixon was disqualified for repeatedly hitting low
22	Win	11–10–1	Juan Ramon Perez	KO	1 (?)	31 Mar, 1992	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.
21	Win	10–10–1	Sam Adkins	TKO	5 (?)	25 Feb, 1992	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.
20	Win	9–10–1	Terry Verners	KO	1 (6)	17 Dec, 1991	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.
19	Win	8–10–1	Dominic Parker	KO	1 (6)	26 Nov, 1991	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.
18	Win	7–10–1	Don Askew	KO	1 (?)	29 Oct, 1991	Country Club, Reseda, California, U.S.
17	Loss	6–10–1	Kevin Ford	SD	8	29 Apr, 1991	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
16	Win	6–9–1	James Ruffin	KO	1 (?), 0:40	5 Feb, 1991	Longhorn Club, Vinton, Louisiana, U.S.
15	Loss	5–9–1	Terry Davis	DQ	2 (?)	1 Feb, 1991	Richmond, California, U.S.
14	Loss	5–8–1	Terry Davis	DQ	5 (?)	14 Dec, 1990	Brownsville, Texas, U.S.
13	Loss	5–7–1	Oliver McCall	SD	10	16 Jul, 1990	Central Plaza Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
12	Draw	5–6–1	Sean McClain	TD	1 (6), 1:07	10 May, 1990	Harrah's Tahoe, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, U.S.	Originally announced as a disqualification win for McClain due to repeated low blows
11	Win	5–6	Vyacheslav Yakovlev	MD	6	12 Apr, 1990	Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
10	Loss	4–6	Craig Petersen	UD	6	24 Mar, 1990	Fairgrounds Arena, Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
9	Win	4–5	Tim Adams	PTS	4	5 Mar, 1990	Fairgrounds Arena, Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
8	Loss	3–5	Sammy Speech	UD	6	16 Feb, 1990	Clarion Hotel Ballroom, St Louis, Missouri, U.S.
7	Win	3–4	Jerry Goff	TKO	2 (4)	25 Jan, 1990	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
6	Win	2–4	Troy Jefferson	UD	4	11 Jan, 1990	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
5	Loss	1–4	James Pritchard	TKO	6	9 Dec, 1989	Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
4	Loss	1–3	Cleveland Woods	TKO	2 (4), 1:48	1 Aug, 1989	Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
3	Win	1–2	Michael Carroll	UD	6	1 Apr, 1989	Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
2	Loss	0–2	Riddick Bowe	TKO	2 (4), 1:55	6 Mar, 1989	Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S.
1	Loss	0–1	Phil Jackson	PTS	4	24 Feb, 1989	Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.	Professional debut

References