Minto in main event
A pair of hand injuries to other fighters have moved Butler's Brian Minto into the main event on ESPN2's June 9 "Friday Night at the Fights" boxing card at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
Minto (24-1, 14 knockouts) will face one of three potential opponents — each with an impressive record — in a 10-round professional heavyweight bout.
"My understanding is it will be one of these three guys,"Minto said. "It doesn't matter which one to me. All I know is I've been handed an opportunity and it's up to me to do something with it."
Minto had been scheduled to fight Byron Polley in an 8-round co-main event on the card. Polley recently suffered a cut on a hand and had to withdraw from the show.
Before a replacement for Polley could be found, Kendall Holt injured his hand while sparring and had to pull out of the main event. The promoters decided to make Minto the showcase fighter on the card.
This will be the fifth bout of Minto's career scheduled for 10 rounds. He scored a TKOin the eighth round against Jeremy Bates April 23, 2004, and knocked out Vince Maddalone in the 10th round of a fight televised by ESPN in July 2004.
Minto's lone professional loss is a 10-round split decision to Tony Tubbs Dec. 30, 2004. He scored a TKOover Maddalone in the seventh round on Oct. 1, 2005.
"The length of the fight doesn't bother me,"Minto said. "I'm in shape to go 10 rounds if it comes to that."
The three possible opponents for Minto are Art Binkowski (14-1-3, 9 KOs), 31, of Canada; Damian Wills (19-0-1, 15 KOs), 26, of Hollywood, Calif.; and Shannon Miller (14-1-0, 8 KOs), 32, of Troy, N.Y.
Miller's lone loss was by a fifth-round TKOagainst Maddalone last August.
Four of Wills' last five fights have been against opponents with sub-.500 records.
"Winning and looking good in this fight could do wonders for me,"Minto said. "It could result in a more lucrative TVfight, or who knows? One of the bigger names may see me and a 25-1 record and be interested.
"I'll be ready to go. I have no reason to anticipate an easy fight here, that's for sure."
