Mitchell Rose was the first man to defeat Butterbean in the boxing ring, but the heavyweight fighter also had run-ins with Mike Tyson and Jay-Z during his colourful life

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson (pictured) was in an altercation with Mitchell Rose outside a Brooklyn nightclub

Former heavyweight boxer Mitchell Rose – known for being the first fighter to topple Butterbean – notoriously clashed with Mike Tyson in a street fight.

Rose’s crowning moment in the ring came one December night in 1995 when he left Madison Square Garden with the biggest win of his career. Butterbean, aka Eric Esch, was riding high with a 15-0 record, famed for his unique appearance and knockout prowess.

Despite Butterbean’s hype, it was underdog and former Golden Gloves pugilist Rose, with a less than stellar 1-6 record, who stopped the fan favourite in just two rounds amid allegations he’d snubbed a bribe to lose the fight, the Mirror report. Rose, who passed away in 2021 at the age of 51, certainly lived a life packed with drama, which included crossing paths with ‘Iron Mike’.

He was fighting fit for his bout with Butterbean thanks to his time as a sparring partner for Buster Mathis Jr, who was gearing up for a showdown with Tyson the next evening. Six years later, Rose claimed he had a street brawl with Tyson outside a Brooklyn nightclub. The boxer, whose career stats stood at 2-11-1, went on to sue Tyson for a whopping $66million (£51million), alleging Tyson had injured his back and ‘ripped his mink coat with his bare hands’.

A police report indicated that Rose had sparked the fight by insulting Tyson’s female companions, calling them “chicken heads”, while onlookers refuted claims that Tyson had landed any blows. Nonetheless, Rose didn’t shy away from sharing his version of events in his tell-all book, ‘Mike Tyson Tried to Kill My Daddy!’

“I wasn’t in a boxing state of mind. He was very, very strong,” Rose put. “I slipped backwards on the concrete. But I wasn’t scared. I should have been, but I wasn’t. I think Mike expected me to fold and surrender. Either way, I can say I got to fight Mike Tyson. It wasn’t in the ring where I would have liked to get the payday. It was the Brooklyn way, in the street.”

Mitchell Rose earned a famous win over Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch in December 1995
Rose opened up about not hitting it big with his boxing career, revealing he pocketed just $1,500 for his famous win against Butterbean. Yet, he remained convinced that he also missed out on multi-millions in the music business as a rapper.

In a jaw-dropping move back in 2008, Rose slapped Jay-Z with a lawsuit for a whopping $88million (£69million), accusing the rap mogul of copyright infringement. The boxer-turned-rapper, known as ‘The Cigarette Man’, claimed he gave Jay-Z a demo during the Felix Trinidad vs William Joppy bout in 2001, which he believes shaped Jay-Z’s future albums.

“He took the demo with him and shortly after that he began using the whispering (which he now frequents) in his songs,” Rose contended. “He’s using it on the regular, now Lil’ Kim is using it. All I want is justice. Jay-Z knows what I am talking about.”

Despite never landing the financial windfall he believed he was owed, Rose shared a positive take on his journey in his autobiography. “I never made a lot of money in the ring. My biggest paydays were $2,500 for the [Gerald] Nobles fight and $1,500 for Butterbean, but I got a lot of experiences that I measured as wealth.

“I’ve been up, I’ve been down, but I’m still here kicking and hopefully punching again. Life works in funny ways. You never know what’s around the corner. Some people don’t want to know. Me, I can’t wait to find out.”