CENTER TWP — Brian Minto is not ready to call it quits.

The 37-year-old Butler heavyweight boxer has decided to continue his career despite losing a NABF title eliminator to Tony Grano via a third-round TKO a few weeks ago in New York.

“I got caught. It happens in boxing,” Minto said. “I keep replaying that fight in my mind and it makes me sick to my stomach.

“I felt like I was in control of the fight. I feel like I still have plenty left in the tank. I feel like if I retire now, people will call me a quitter and I’m no quitter.”

Minto’s manager, Pat Nelson, isn’t surprised by the decision to keep going.

“That kid wasn’t gonna go out like that,” Nelson said.

Minto (35-5) suffered a concussion in the Grano fight and recently had surgery to fix a deviated septum. He will not be medically cleared to return to ring action until May.

Minto has also talked to former trainer Tom Yankello about joining forces with him again.

“We had a bit of a falling out before, but I’m at the point where I need to swallow my pride and get together with him again,” Minto said. “My defense in the ring was at its best when I worked with Tommy.”

Yankello, who runs a boxing gym in Ambridge, said the two will meet with each other Saturday and “I’m 90 percent sure we’ll be getting back together.”

Yankello pointed out that the only fight Minto lost while training with him for a full eight weeks leading up to it was a unanimous decision to Luan Krasniqi in Germany.

“And a lot of people thought Brian won that fight,” Yankello said. “I only had Brian for two weeks before the (Chris) Arreola fight and I worked with him a little before the Tony Tubbs fight.”

Arreola knocked Minto out in the fourth round and Tubbs won by split decision. Yankello was not involved in Minto’s training leading up to his WBO cruiserweight title loss to champion Marco Huck in Germany or the loss to Grano in later January.

“Boxers have to deal with outside influences sometimes ... They get manipulated and things happen,” Yankello said of he and Minto’s parting of the ways. “I’ve always subscribed to the theory that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“We’ve been successful together before and we can be that way again,” Yankello insisted.

Possible opponents for Minto’s next fight could be former world title contender Oleg Maskaev (36-7, 27 KOs), 43, of Russia, who has not fought since 2009 and is attempting a comeback, or a rematch with 39-year-old Donnell Holmes (33-2).

Minto handed Holmes his first professiional loss in August of 2009 when the fight was stopped after four rounds because of a head-butt.

“A rematch with Holmes could be held at Pullman Park this summer,” Nelson allowed. “Brian needs to beat a top level, big-name guy to make some noise in the heavyweight division again.”

Minto said he would welcome the opportunity to fight at Pullman Park again, but admitted he could not foot the bill for the show.

“It would have to be a cooperative effort,” he said.

Regardless, he sees little problem with getting an opponent for his next fight.

“My phone is going to be ringing off the hook now,” Minto said. “People will think I’m an easy win for anybody. People in my own community might think that now.

“That’s OK. It’s part of being an athlete and I accept that. It’s up to me to prove people wrong.”