At this stage of his career, Brian Minto doesn't know a whole lot about his opponents.

His theory remains the same as that of famed Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis:Just win, baby.

But do it with flair.

Minto (23-1, 14 knockouts), 31, will face Billy Zumbrun (19-6-3, 11 KO's), 33, of Ogden, Utah, April 28 on ESPN2's "Friday Night at the Fights."

The eight-round heavyweight bout will be the first match televised by the cable network that night. The fight card will be held at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.

"All I know is that's important for me to perform well,"Minto said. "I can't just win the fight. I have to look impressive while doing it."

If the Butler resident defeats Zumbrun, he likely will get a fight June 9 on ESPN.

"This is where I climb the ladder,"Minto said. "I'm not very far away from being considered a heavyweight contender."

Minto has won his last five fights — the last three by knockout or technical knockout — and is ranked 34th by the World Boxing Association. He is ranked 38th by boxrec.com.

Zumbrun is ranked 87th by boxrec.com. He has won seven of his last eight fights, the lone blemish being a 10-round split decision to former world champion Riddick Bowe on April 7, 2005.

Zumbrun stopped Stacy Frazier (14-4) by TKOin the fourth round Feb. 24.

"Frazier is a quality fighter,"Minto said. "This guy has some nice wins. He's a boxer who doesn't like to mix it up inside. That plays into my hands, if he tries to fight me that way."

Bowe knocked Zumbrun down with a body punch late in their fight.

"I'm hoping I can get to him that way,"Minto said. "The ideal thing would be to knock him out, but I'm not going to try to force that issue. A home run hitter never hits one out of the park when he's overswinging. It has to come naturally, and boxing works the same way."

Before his loss to Bowe, Zumbrun won four consecutive matches against opponents with winning records: Mike Pena, Billy Douglas, Tony Larosa and Wade Lewis.

Minto hasn't fought since Dec. 30, when he stopped Troy Weida by TKO after three rounds. He has been fighting off the flu bug in recent days.

"I'm feeling better now," he said. "I've got five weeks until the fight and I've been eating well all along. As long as I'm between 210 and 215 pounds, I'm fine, and that's where I'll be."