CENTER TWP — Brian Minto’s previously canceled fight against NABF heavyweight title contender Tony Grano is on again.

Minto (35-4, 21 KOs) was scheduled to face Grano (18-2-1) two months ago in Massachusetts, but a small promoter continued to postpone the boxing card and Minto’s camp eventually opted out.

Now the fight is scheduled as a 12-round main event Jan. 28 at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y., approximately 30 miles east of Syracuse.

“The casino is putting up the money. We have signed contracts. It’s going to happen this time,” said Pat Nelson, Minto’s manager.

The fight will take place a day after Minto’s 37th birthday. The Butler heavyweight has boxed two rounds of competition — a retired decision over Pierre Karam on Oct. 29 of last year — in the past 19 months.

“Yeah, I’m pretty anxious,” Minto admitted of getting back into competition. “People keep approaching me, asking if I retired or if I quit.

“I let that stuff roll off my back. A lot of people don’t understand how the fight game works. I can’t promote my own fights anymore. I’m at the mercy of other people that way and stuff happens.”

Minto has stayed in shape, however, and will return to boxing camp in California (Pa.) next week. He’s been sparring and working out on a regular basis.

Minto said he weighs around 220 pounds now and plans to step into the ring Jan. 28 at 215 pounds.

“I’ve got seven or eight weeks and that will be no problem,” he said. “I do a lot of cardio work and the weight comes off.”

Grano, 31, hails from the New England area and stands 6-foot-2, 225 pounds.

Nelson described Grano as “a good physical match” for Minto.

Despite Minto’s recent layoff, he still has completed 179 rounds of pro boxing in his career, compared to Grano’s 75.

“Maybe they’re figuring I’m too old or something, I don’t know,” Minto said. “He (Grano) has a nice right hand, but I don’t think he has a chin. We’ll find out.”

Grano’s last fight was a six-round TKO of Dominique Alexander (20-10-1) on April 9 of this year. He owns a fourth-round KO of previously unbeaten Travis Kauffman (22-1) in 2009, but suffered a second-round TKO loss to Nicolai Firtha in June of last year.

Firtha is managed by Nelson.

“That loss knocked Grano’s stock down a bit,” Nelson said. “Now he’s trying to come back up.”

This fight is a NABF heavyweight title eliminator, with the winner in line to face NABF champion Johnathon Banks (27-1-1), ranked No. 5 by the WBC. That fight would likely take place March 3 on the Vitali Klitschko undercard in Germany.

“If we take care of business here, everything is set up for us,” Nelson said.

“Hopefully, this wait has been worth it,” Minto said. “I had a (title) shot and I wasn’t successful. That doesn’t mean I can’t get another one.”

Minto retired after nine rounds of his WBO world cruiserweight title fight against Marco Huck May 1 of last year in Germany.