CATLETTSBURG, Ky. — It's been 15 months since Cory Phelps had a professional boxing match.

But he's hardly been away from the sport.

Phelps, 26, sporting a pro record of 13-6-1, returns to the ring Oct. 29 in the 10-round main event against Butler's Brian Minto for the vacant WBC Continental Americas cruiserweight title at Ghost Riders in Butler.

Phelps is trained by his father, Larry, a former pro boxer himself. Larry Phelps has been training fighters since 1986 and last fought as a pro in 1991.

Cory Phelps has been in boxing since age 7. He won 260 of 300 amateur bouts and reached the finals of the National Golden Gloves.

His last pro fight was July 3, 2009, when he lost a unanimous eight-round decision to Dewey Cooper (18-3-3) in Las Vegas. The loss was Phelps' third in four fights.

"That's when we decided to shut it down for a while and take boxing more seriously," Phelps' father said. "Cory was fighting at light-heavyweight and was having too much trouble making weight.

"His body was maturing and growing. We decided to move up to cruiserweight and wanted to take a year to get acclimated to that jump," he added.

Phelps had suffered a first-round knockout at the hands of unbeaten Alexander Frenkel in May 2008 in Germany. He has spent a number of months sparring with Frenkel (23-0, 18 KOs), who is the European cruiserweight champion.

"I know Brian Minto packs a lot of power, but he doesn't hit harder than Frenkel, and I've been dealing with that for a long time," Phelps said.

"I'm not taking this fight for a payday, to come up there and just lay down for this guy. If I wanted money, I could do better fighting over in Germany.

"This is about opportunity for me: a top 15 ranking and a title belt," Phelps added.

Phelps and his father work full time in construction in Kentucky.

Their union allows Phelps to take a 30-day leave to prepare for this fight.

Phelps describes himself as a "slick fighter" who knows how to move and punch.

"I'm used to being in the ring against faster guys. Brian's going to be bigger and slower," Phelps said. "I know he's going to come right after me. If I get past the first couple of rounds and work up a sweat, he's in for a long night.

"I'm not disrespecting him, but after that (Chris) Arreola fight, Brian Minto will never be Brian Minto again. He's done," Phelps added.

Arreola physically punished Minto before scoring a fourth-round TKO in December in Atlantic City.

"The longer the fight lasts, the better for us," the elder Phelps said. "If it goes the distance, sure, we'll be worrying about the decision. But all we can do is show up and fight."

Cory Phelps insists he'll be in shape, well prepared and loose Oct. 29.

"I've got nothing to lose because I'm supposed to lose," he said. "If he loses, he's done. You tell me who the pressure's on."

Tickets are $20, $50 and $75 and are available at Bill's Beer Barn or by calling 724-287-6923.