Brian Minto thought he had earned a trip to the finals.

He took an angry trip home, instead.

The Butler heavyweight (38-7) dropped a unanimous three-round decision to the United Kingdom’s own Michael Sprott (40-21) in the semifinals of the Prizefighter Tournament Thursday night at York Hall in London, England.

“I got jobbed is what is was,” Minto said. “That was a disgrace. Boxing can be disgusting sometimes.”

Minto lost the bout 28-27 on all three judge’s cards. He pinned Sprott along the ropes for most of Round 2, landing punches repeatedly.

During Round 3, Minto forced the taller, heavier Sprott against the ropes again. At one point, Sprott got tangled up in the ropes and nearly fell through.

Toward the end of the fight, Sprott put one foot through the ropes, causing intervention by the referee as Minto flailed away.

Minto and trainer Tom Yankello both raised their hands in victory as the bell sounded to end the bout.

“That second round was the round of the tournament,” said Pat Nelson, Minto’s manager. “It was classic Minto. He got inside and went to work.

“That guy (Sprott) was a Lennox Lewis-type of build. But Brian was wearing him out. He would have worn him out in a longer fight.”

When the judges’ decision was announced, Minto’s face was incredulous. Sprott himself appeared surprised by the decision.

“When I got inside, the ref came in and pushed us apart. He wouldn’t let me work,” Minto said.

Sprott went on to score a unanimous decision over Jason Gavern (24-16-4) in the tourney final.

“I would have knocked either one of those guys out,” Minto fumed. “That final was a joke.”

Sprott has won the last two Prizefighter tournaments in the heavyweight division.

“When you go to another country, you almost have to knock the guy out to win,” Nelson said. “Judges and officials’ actions are going to be to the advantage of the hometown guy. That’s just how it is.

“The plus side is that Brian improved his stock tremendously. That show was viewed by millions on Sky TV and the response has been extraordinary.

“Brian has been taking on world-class fighters in their backyard and has been more than holding his own. He’s been the victim of some questionable decisions and he’s gaining support in the boxing community,” Nelson added.

Minto arrived back in the states Friday and said he was unhurt in the tournament.

“I got a couple of bruises,” he said. “My neck’s a little sore from being constantly pushed down by Sprott while he was trying to tie me up or back away from me.

“I’ll be back in the gym in a week and keep plugging away.”

Minto scored a split decision over Tom Little of the United Kingdom (3-2) in his first fight Thursday. Little’s three career wins are against opponents with a combined record of 28-79-6.

“He was a bit awkward in style, but I pounded him from post to post,” Minto said. “I got my hand raised and that’s all I cared about at the time. I had to get ready for my next opponent.

“But, yeah ... As close as they scored it should have been a red flag. They want their own guys to win over there.”

Minto may be back in action as early as next month against Shane Cameron (29-3, 22 KO’s) of New Zealand in another bout overseas.

Cameron hasn’t fought since losing a unanimous decision to Danny Green for the vacant IBO cruiserweight title Nov. 21 of last year.

“He (Cameron) is looking for an opponent and they’re interested in Brian,” Nelson said. “We’ll see. Brian’s next fight will be against a world-class opponent. His last 30 fights have been against guys with winning records. All he needs is a win over a fringe contender and he’ll be back in the mix for another title shot.”