Minto

CENTER TWP — Brian Minto is maintaining his weight and biding his time.

Talks with Sauerland Events, a boxing promotions company based in Germany, about a multifight package with the 35-year-old Butler boxer are ongoing.

"(Manager Pat Nelson) keeps reassuring me it's going to happen," Minto said. "That company has been pretty busy putting a couple of shows together over there.

"We're on the back burner, I guess."

WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck (27-1, 20 knockouts) is under contract with Sauerland and is defending his title March 13 against Adam Richards (23-2, 15 KOs) in Germany.

Sauerland is assembling a fight card April 24 that Minto (34-3, 21 KOs) hopes to be a part of. The company is crafting yet another fight card in Michigan in two weeks.

"It's their show and they're going to want fighters under contract with them on that card," Minto said. "They are doing the investing. It's their money."

Nelson said Sauerland recently engineered a deal with TV 2 in Denmark that will televise 50 boxing shows over the next five years.

"It's a very active and busy company," Nelson said. "They've got all the top cruiserweights, the people Brian wants to fight. We're hopeful and optimistic something will get done with Brian over the next week or two.

"They may sign Brian and bring him over there to train, get him in front of the German press a little bit, sort of rekindle his name over there."

Minto has fought in Germany twice, scoring a sixth-round TKO of Axel Schulz in November 2006 and losing a 12-round unanimous decision to Luan Krasniqi in March 2007.

Minto said there's a list of 10 possible opponents — all cruiserweights — for him on that April 24 show. His first 37 pro fights were in the heavyweight division.

"It doesn't matter to me who I fight at this point," Minto said. "There will be little difference in our sizes and I'll be fighting at my more natural weight."

Nelson is working on contingency fights for Minto in case the Sauerland deal falls through.

"Brian's been stepping into the ring every four months and we want to continue that," Nelson said. "He'll have a fight lined up sometime in April, first week of May at the latest."

Minto said he weighs about 204 pounds right now. The cruiserweight limit is 200.

He gave up more than 40 pounds to Chris Arreola when Minto lost by a fourth-round TKO Dec. 5 in Atlantic City. He hasn't fought since.

"I'm in shape. I've been training since January," Minto said. "All I need to do is get a little sparring in. I'm not worried about any time-line toward my next fight."

Minto is unsure of who will train him for his next bout. He doesn't anticipate working with longtime trainer Tommy Yankello again and has a standing offer to work with Freddie Roach for six weeks in Los Angeles.

Roach trained him for his bout against Donnell Holmes last summer at Pullman Park.