# Lionel Butler

Lionel Butler (born July 25, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2010. He is best known for his 1995 fight with Lennox Lewis, but also faced world champions Tony Tubbs, James Smith, Chris Byrd, and Oliver McCall. Though he never held or challenged for a world title from any of the main four sanctioning bodies (WBC, IBF, WBA, WBO) outside of his eliminator bout with Lewis, he won the vacant IBO heavyweight title in 1993 and unsuccessfully challenged for the title again against Brian Neilson in 1998.

## 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) 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. 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 (118 kg) 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 on January 23, 1997 after defeating Marcos Gonzalez by first-round knockout, 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.

## Professional boxing record

| 51 fights | 32 wins | 17 losses |
| By knockout | 25 | 8 |
| By decision | 6 | 6 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 3 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 51 | Loss | 32–17–1 (1) | Damian Wills | UD | 10 | 12 Jun 2010 | Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, California | |
| 50 | Loss | 32–16–1 (1) | Andrey Fedosov | KO | 2 (8), 2:37 | 8 Jan 2010 | Civic Auditorium, Glendale, California | |
| 49 | Win | 32–15–1 (1) | Fred Kassi | SD | 6 | 10 Sep 2009 | San Manuel Indian Casino, Highland, California | |
| 48 | Loss | 31–15–1 (1) | Andre Purlette | TKO | 2 (10), 1:53 | 9 Sep 2003 | Level Nightclub, Miami, Florida | |
| 47 | Win | 31–14–1 (1) | Dan Ward | TKO | 3 (6) | 30 Aug 2003 | Sam's Town Casino, Tunica, Mississippi | |
| 46 | Win | 30–14–1 (1) | John Dixon | KO | 2 (6), 1:27 | 18 Jul 2003 | Argosy Casino Atrium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
| 45 | Win | 29–14–1 (1) | Willie Driver | KO | 3 (6) | 2 Feb 2002 | Grand Casino, Gulfport, Mississippi | |
| 44 | Win | 28–14–1 (1) | Craig Brinson | UD | 4 | 23 Jan 2002 | Caesars Indiana, Bridgeport, Indiana | |
| 43 | Loss | 27–14–1 (1) | Brian Nielsen | KO | 1 (12), 2:37 | 6 Nov 1998 | K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen | For IBO heavyweight title |
| 42 | Win | 27–13–1 (1) | Cleveland Woods | TKO | 9 (10), 2:09 | 28 Oct 1997 | Orleans Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| 41 | Loss | 26–13–1 (1) | Michael Grant | DQ | 4 (10), 0:38 | 19 Apr 1997 | Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada | Butler deducted points for a headbutt in 2nd, a low blow in 3rd, then DQed for another low blow in 4th |
| 40 | Win | 26–12–1 (1) | Marcos Gonzalez | KO | 1 (12), 2:36 | 23 Jan 1997 | Country Club, Reseda, California | Won vacant WBF Heavyweight title |
| 39 | Win | 25–12–1 (1) | Bomani Parker | KO | 1 (10), 3:00 | 21 Nov 1996 | Country Club, Reseda, California | |
| 38 | Win | 24–12–1 (1) | Salvador Maciel | TKO | 1 (10), 0:55 | 17 Oct 1996 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California | |
| 37 | Loss | 23–12–1 (1) | Chris Byrd | TKO | 8 (10), 0:57 | 23 Apr, 1996 | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan | |
| 36 | Win | 23–11–1 (1) | Mauricio Villegas | TKO | 2 (10), 2:11 | 18 Mar 1996 | County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas | |
| 35 | Loss | 22–11–1 (1) | Lennox Lewis | TKO | 5 (12), 2:55 | 13 May 1995 | ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California | WBC heavyweight title eliminator |
| 34 | Win | 22–10–1 (1) | James Flowers | TKO | 1 (10), 1:53 | 1 Mar 1995 | Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida | |
| 33 | NC | 21–10–1 (1) | Eric Curry | TKO | 3 (10), 3:00 | 26 Apr 1994 | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan | 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 | 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 | |
| 30 | Win | 19–10–1 | Lawrence Carter | TKO | 1 (10) 2:39 | 16 Nov, 1993 | Casino Magic, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi | |
| 29 | Win | 18–10–1 | Tim Bullock | TKO | 1 (?) | 27 May 1993 | Biloxi, Mississippi | |
| 28 | Win | 17–10–1 | Jesse Shelby | TKO | 4 (?) | 4 May 1993 | McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, Colorado | |
| 27 | Win | 16–10–1 | Craig Payne | RTD | 7 (10), 3:00 | 26 Mar 1993 | Country Club, Reseda, California | 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 | Won vacant IBO Heavyweight title |
| 25 | Win | 14–10–1 | John Morton | TKO | 5 (10), 2:43 | 4 Nov 1992 | Country Club, Reseda, California | |
| 24 | Win | 13–10–1 | Tony Tubbs | KO | 1 (10), 3:00 | 18 Aug 1992 | Bayfront Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida | |
| 23 | Win | 12–10–1 | David Dixon | DQ | 4 (?) | 11 May 1992 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California | Dixon was disqualified for repeatedly hitting low. |
| 22 | Win | 11–10–1 | Juan Ramon Perez | KO | 1 (?) | 31 Mar 1992 | Country Club, Reseda, California | |
| 21 | Win | 10–10–1 | Sam Adkins | TKO | 5 (?) | 25 Feb 1992 | Country Club, Reseda, California | |
| 20 | Win | 9–10–1 | Terry Verners | KO | 1 (6) | 17 Dec 1991 | Country Club, Reseda, California | |
| 19 | Win | 8–10–1 | Dominic Parker | KO | 1 (6) | 26 Nov 1991 | Country Club, Reseda, California | |
| 18 | Win | 7–10–1 | Don Askew | KO | 1 (?) | 29 Oct 1991 | Country Club, Reseda, California | |
| 17 | Loss | 6–10–1 | Kevin Ford | SD | 8 | 29 Apr 1991 | Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California | |
| 16 | Win | 6–9–1 | James Ruffin | KO | 1 (?), 0:40 | 5 Feb 1991 | Longhorn Club, Vinton, Louisiana | |
| 15 | Loss | 5–9–1 | Terry Davis | DQ | 2 (?) | 1 Feb 1991 | Richmond, California | |
| 14 | Loss | 5–8–1 | Terry Davis | DQ | 5 (?) | 14 Dec 1990 | Brownsville, Texas | |
| 13 | Loss | 5–7–1 | Oliver McCall | SD | 10 | 16 Jul 1990 | Central Plaza Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| 12 | Draw | 5–6–1 | Sean McClain | TD | 1 (6), 1:07 | 10 May 1990 | Harrah's Tahoe, Lake Tahoe, Nevada | 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 | |
| 10 | Loss | 4–6 | Craig Petersen | UD | 6 | 24 Mar 1990 | Fairgrounds Arena, Mobile, Alabama | |
| 9 | Win | 4–5 | Tim Adams | PTS | 4 | 5 Mar 1990 | Fairgrounds Arena, Mobile, Alabama | |
| 8 | Loss | 3–5 | Sammy Speech | UD | 6 | 16 Feb 1990 | Clarion Hotel Ballroom, St Louis, Missouri | |
| 7 | Win | 3–4 | Jerry Goff | TKO | 2 (4) | 25 Jan 1990 | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| 6 | Win | 2–4 | Troy Jefferson | UD | 4 | 11 Jan 1990 | New Orleans, Louisiana | |
| 5 | Loss | 1–4 | James Pritchard | TKO | 6 | 9 Dec 1989 | Biloxi, Mississippi | |
| 4 | Loss | 1–3 | Cleveland Woods | TKO | 2 (4), 1:48 | 1 Aug 1989 | Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| 3 | Win | 1–2 | Michael Carroll | UD | 6 | 1 Apr 1989 | Biloxi, Mississippi | |
| 2 | Loss | 0–2 | Riddick Bowe | TKO | 2 (4), 1:55 | 6 Mar 1989 | Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada | |
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Phil Jackson | PTS | 4 | 24 Feb 1989 | Biloxi, Mississippi | Professional debut |