There was a major upset in the world of boxing Saturday night, as Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked Anthony Joshua to win three different heavyweight championship titles.
Ruiz won the fight via technical knockout in the seventh round of the fight, which took place in New York's Madison Square Garden, per ESPN.
In winning the fight, Ruiz became the first boxer of Mexican descent to win a heavyweight championship, after seven others, going back to the 1960s, fought for heavyweight championships but failed to win them.
Among those shocked by the result was ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, who, due to Ruiz' large, doughy physique, compared him to the former boxer nicknamed Butterbean.
"Anthony Joshua — holder of 3 belts, gets TKO'd by Butter Bean [sic].......I mean some dude named Andy Ruiz Jr. What a damn disgrace. Joshua looked completely gassed," Smith tweeted.
Smith went on to say that Ruiz is "good," but that the result upsets him because it means fans won't be getting a unification fight between Joshua and Deontay Wilder, who holds the WBC heavyweight title belt.
The mention of Butterbean led at least one Twitter user to conclude that Smith was using a racial slur, in reference to Ruiz's Mexican heritage.
But the ESPN commentator was clearly referring to Eric Esch, the 1990s fighter who went by the nickname Butterbean. The 425-pound fighter was a boxer, as well as a wrestler and MMA fighter, and he was a visible media figure for a time in the '90s and slightly after, appearing in a reality show and in the first Jackass movie.
