Heidi Vogel never thought she'd be married to a professional boxer.

Brian Minto had just returned to the Butler Cubs hall to take up amateur boxing when she was dating him.

"I thought he was doing it just to stay in shape," she said.

Brian and Heidi Minto have been married for three years now. They have two children - 4-year-old Megan and 2-year-old Matthew - and live in a mobile home in Unionville.

"We're looking to move into a house in a year or so," Brian Minto said. "This place is too small."

His boxing career might soon be big enough to accommodate those wishes.

After going 12-3 as an amateur, Minto made his pro debut at 230 pounds on Nov. 27, 2002, by defeating Walter Dunlow of Cleveland.

Less than two years later, he is 15-0 with eight knockouts, weighs 210 and will face Vince Maddalone (21-1, 14 KOs) July 23 in Atlantic City, N.J., in a 10-round bout.

The fight is a co-main event and will be broadcast live on ESPN2's "Friday Night at the Fights."

"Things could really take off after this," Minto said. "It could get crazy."

"His manager (Pat Nelson) said this fight could make or break him," Heidi Minto said.

Minto's rise to prominence in the ring has been quick. His 15 pro fights have occurred in just 17 months. He is ranked 39th among U.S. pro heavyweights by the North American Boxing Council, 80th in the world.

Joe Mesi (29-0) is the top-ranked heavyweight in the country, but he has a blood clot on his brain and might never fight again. At No. 39, Minto is the next-highest ranked white heavyweight in the country.

Maddalone, also a white fighter, is ranked 50th in the country.

"Being white is a definite advantage to me," Minto said. "Aspiring black heavyweights have to keep beating big names to climb the ladder.

"If I take out one prominent name at some point, I'll probably be in the title picture," he added.

Regardless of the picture, Heidi Minto cannot watch him in the ring. She has yet to see him fight live.

"It's very stressful just thinking about what might happen," she said. "I've gone with him to fights, but I can't watch them. I'll go in another room or something.

"I'll watch the tapes afterward, when I know he's OK," Heidi Minto added.

"It's the heavyweight division and anyone can get caught," Minto admitted. "You can get laid out by somebody. It's a tough way to make a living, but I'm in good shape and recover in the ring pretty well."

Minto has been knocked down only once - by 6-foot-4, 275-pound Paul Pczynski early in his pro career. Minto knocked out his first amateur opponent in 17 seconds.

Heidi Minto graduated from Butler High School and Slippery Rock University, where she majored in health and physical education, and is a case worker for the mental retarded in Butler County.

Minto also graduated from Butler, where he was an all-conference linebacker. He had a career-high 21 tackles in a game against North Allegheny, and the Golden Tornado lost to Upper St. Clair, 7-3, in the WPIAL semifinals during his senior year in 1992.

Boston College and a number of Division I-AA schools had interest in Minto, but he didn't have the grades and opted for Potomac State (W.Va.).

"I was playing with a bunch of inner-city kids," Minto said. "It was culture shock for me and I was homesick."

So he transferred to Slippery Rock University, where he played linebacker, never knew what he wanted to major in and left the school 30 credits shy of a diploma.

Minto had a habit of not finishing things. In Little League baseball, he was the catcher for Matt Clement, who now pitches for the Chicago Cubs, while playing two years for the Highfield Mets. He made the high school team as a freshman, but quit baseball.

"Matt and I were best friends in fifth and sixth grade," Minto said. "We drifted apart after that."

Minto was a power forward for Butler's junior high basketball team and varsity coach Mark Jula wanted him to come out for the team his senior year.

"I was a street basketball player," Minto said. "I never conformed to organized ball, so I didn't join the team. I was a street kid, a street fighter, growing up."

When Minto was 5, he wrapped Ace bandages around his hands and pretended to be Rocky Balboa from the "Rocky" film series.

"Rocky was my idol," Minto said. "When I was 12, I joined the Cubs Hall to box and was scheduled for my first amateur fight.

"I broke my thumb in a street fight and it had to be canceled. I never did go back. I regret that. I wish I had those years in the ring back," he added.

Because of his late start in boxing - Minto was 27 when he turned pro - he had to fight quickly and often.

"Going through 15 fights in 17 months was rough," he said. "That was a lot of pounding."

It resulted in tendinitis in his hands and wrists and shut down a West Virginia heavyweight title fight against Billy Douglas - younger brother of former world champion James "Buster" Douglas - Friday at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort.

Minto is relaxing at home with his wife and children until the end of the month, when he'll stay in Ambridge for three weeks, train and spar with fellow unbeaten heavyweight Calvin Brock and get ready for the Maddalone fight.

"It's hard when he's not here," Heidi Minto said. "But Brian's following his dream. I've never seen him this determined about anything. He's been that way from his first match.

"He's gone farther than anybody around here thought he would - farther than I thought he would. He has to see it through.

"What's hard is the uncertainty of it. It's an unstable business. You don't know what's going to happen. We can't make any life decisions right now," she added.

When Minto is home, he cooks the meals, which means his family eats what his boxing diet allows.

"If it's broiled chicken, brown rice and broccoli, so be it," Heidi Minto said. "We're with him."

Matthew is definitely on board with his father. He wears his dad's boxing gloves around the house and makes punching noises.

"He's into it," Minto said.

"That scares me," Mrs. Minto said. "I mean, that's my son. I don't want him getting involved in it."

Minto plans to box for another four years, then retire regardless of his standing in the sport or his financial status.

His ultimate goal is to open a few boxing gyms in the Pittsburgh area, similar to Emanuel Steward's Kronk gyms around Detroit.

"I won't be one of those guys looking to hang on at 35 or 40," Minto said of his boxing career. "I want to be here for my kids, coach them if they're playing a sport, be here for my family."

Heidi Minto smiled as he spoke.

"As busy as he's been, he finds time to be a dad," she said.

But busy he will stay.

"I've gone this far," Minto said. "I can't turn back now."