James Butler (Boxer): Sucker Punch, Kellerman Murder, and Sentence

James Butler is a former American super middleweight boxer, nicknamed “The Harlem Hammer,” who is best known today for two crimes: a bare-knuckle sucker punch that knocked out opponent Richard Grant at a 9/11 charity card in November 2001, and the 2004 hammer killing of freelance sportswriter Sam Kellerman in Hollywood. Butler pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and arson in Kellerman’s death and was sentenced to 29 years and four months in California state prison.¹

From Harlem to a World Title Shot

Butler grew up in public housing in Harlem and turned professional as a super middleweight in 1996. He built a record of 22 wins and 5 losses with 12 knockouts, and picked up the IBF USBA Super Middleweight title with defenses against Bryant Brannon, Arthur Allen, and Jose Spearman between 1999 and 2000.² By 2001 he was seen as a legitimate contender and was floated as a possible opponent for WBO champion Joe Calzaghe.³

His one world title shot came on September 1, 2001, when he challenged Sven Ottke for the IBF world super middleweight belt in Magdeburg, Germany. He lost a lopsided unanimous decision.⁴

The 2001 Sucker Punch on Richard Grant

Less than three months later, on November 23, 2001, Butler fought Richard Grant at the Roseland Ballroom in New York on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights.” The card, titled “Fighting for America,” was a Twin Towers Fund benefit held roughly two months after the September 11 attacks. About 1,500 people were in the room, including roughly 500 off-duty NYPD officers and firefighters who had been given free tickets.⁵ Butler had pledged his entire $10,000 purse to the relief fund.³

Grant won a 10-round unanimous decision. Seconds after the scorecards were read, he walked over to embrace Butler. Butler had already stripped his gloves, though his hands were still wrapped. Instead of returning the gesture, he threw a right hook that landed flush on Grant’s jaw.⁶ Grant collapsed semi-conscious, coughing up blood, and needed stitches for a cut tongue.⁷ Raymond Kelly, then New York State Athletic Commissioner and the city’s incoming police commissioner, was at ringside and personally ordered Butler’s arrest.⁵

Butler was charged with second-degree assault and served four months at Rikers Island.⁸ The New York State Athletic Commission suspended him indefinitely.³ He was released in December 2002, completed an anger management course, and petitioned for reinstatement in June 2003. The commission restored his license three months later.

One voice arguing against a lifetime ban was boxing analyst Max Kellerman. In a November 2001 ESPN column, Kellerman wrote that Butler had no prior pattern of that behavior and that boxing was his living, and suggested a one-year suspension and a heavy fine instead.⁶ Three years later, Butler killed Max Kellerman’s younger brother.

The Killing of Sam Kellerman

Sam Kellerman was a 29-year-old freelance sportswriter and Max Kellerman’s younger brother. He and Butler had become friends through boxing, and when Butler was trying to mount a comeback, Kellerman gave him a place to stay at his Hollywood apartment. Butler moved in around late September 2004 and later described Kellerman as his “only ally,” someone who “went to bat” for him.⁹

Authorities placed the killing on October 12, 2004. Kellerman was struck roughly 30 times in the head with a hammer while sitting at his desktop computer.¹⁰ Butler then set a fire inside the apartment. He later told police he had covered the body with a bedspread because “it troubled him to look at the body while he watched TV.”⁹

The body was not found until October 17, when friends and family who could not reach Kellerman broke in through a window. Investigators noted burn marks on the floor, the gas stove turned on, and Kellerman’s car missing.⁹

Arrest at UCLA

After the killing, Butler moved between medical facilities. He sought treatment at a fire station, checked into a psychiatric hospital in Alhambra, and was released three days later. He then drove Kellerman’s car to UCLA Medical Center looking for a bipolar support group and psychiatric medication.⁹¹¹ Butler called police for help from UCLA, and officers arrested him there on the afternoon of October 20, 2004. He initially told them he had found Kellerman already dead and had tried to kill himself by cutting his wrists.

Butler reportedly suffered from bipolar disorder. LAPD Detective Elizabeth Estupinian confirmed he had been seeking treatment and medication for manic depression when he was arrested.¹¹

Guilty Plea and 29-Year Sentence

Butler was originally charged with murder. Deputy District Attorney Bjorn Dodd argued that the roughly 30 hammer blows to the head showed clear intent to kill.¹² A murder conviction at trial carried up to 34 years, according to his attorney.¹⁰

On March 27, 2006, Butler pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and arson in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Michael Pastor. The murder charge was dismissed under the agreement. His public defender, Jack Keenan, told reporters Butler had “always been sorry for what he did” and considered Kellerman a friend, calling the plea “a fair resolution of the case.” Prosecutors never publicly stated a motive.¹⁰

On April 5, 2006, Judge Pastor sentenced Butler to 29 years and four months in state prison and ordered him to pay nearly $40,000 in restitution.¹

1
Los Angeles Times. Professional Boxer Sentenced in Beating Death
2
BoxRec. James Butler Boxing Record
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ESPN. Butler Suspended Indefinitely
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BoxRec. Sven Ottke vs James Butler
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The Sweet Science. The Tragedy of the Harlem Hammer
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ESPN. Max Kellerman Column on Butler-Grant Incident
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ESPN. Butler Faces Felony Assault Charges
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New York Daily News. A Sucker No Longer: Boxer Back After Punch Led to Jail, Ban
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Los Angeles Times. Ex-Boxer Admits Killing Sportswriter
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ESPN. Butler Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter, Arson
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New York Post. Slay Suspect Boxer Sought Psych Meds
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New York Post. Boxer: I Killed Buddy, but He’ll Deny Murder