There are times when defeat can do a guy good.

Brian Minto experienced one of those times in Poland last weekend.

The 38-year-old Butler heavyweight is supposed to be on the down side of his boxing career. He is supposed to be slowing up. He is supposed to be easy pickings for a young, up-and-coming contender.

At least, that’s what unbeaten Polish heavyweight Artur Szpilka and his handlers figured when they signed on to fight Minto in Szpilka’s hometown.

What else could they have been thinking?

Szpilka, 24, had already signed on for a rematch with Mike Mollo — a heavyweight who knocked him down twice in February during a grueling match — in August in Chicago.

The last thing Szpilka wanted was a tough match just two months before.

But that’s what he got.

Minto aggressively stalked and pursued his younger opponent for 10 rounds in a hot arena. He wanted to mix it up, Szpilka did not.

Once Minto failed to score a knockout, losing a unanimous decision on the opponent’s home turf was no shock. As Minto’s manager, Pat Nelson, put it: “Without a knockdown, there was no chance.”

There is a chance for Minto to revitalize his career, however.

Pro boxers fight into their 40s these days. Former world champion Evander Holyfield is 50, in fact, and hasn’t fought since scoring a TKO of Brian Nielsen (64-2) in May of 2011.

Holyfield’s handlers may have interest in taking on Minto.

There is also a chance of Pullman Park hosting a boxing card in August that would feature Minto. An ideal foe there could be Donnell Holmes.

Holmes lost a technical decision to Minto in August of 2009 at Pullman Park when a head-butt halted the competitive bout after four rounds. Holmes appealed that ruling and lost.

Now 40, Holmes has won three of his four fights since that time. His lone loss was a unanimous decision to Bowie Tupou (21-1) in Atlantic City two years ago.

Holmes has not fought since August of last year.

The fact Minto fought an aggressive, quality fight against a top-25 heavyweight in Szpilka makes him an attractive opponent for other young heavyweights with impressive records, looking for a win over a respected name to serve as a bridge to better things down the road.

Minto is a true ring veteran. He’s had 43 pro fights. He’s fought four times overseas, accounting for himself well on each occasion.

He’s headlined fight cards. He’s promoted fight cards. He’s held title belts and he fought for the world cruiserweight championship.

“At this stage, nothing is out of the question for Brian because nothing in the sport is going to faze Brian,” Nelson said.

Brian Minto wants to fight for a world title again.

Win or lose, he wants one more shot at winning a belt.

Losing to Szpilka the way he did was not a step backward.

It was a step in the right direction.