CENTER TWP — Brian Minto will end his 14-year professional boxing career close to where it started.

The Butler heavyweight (41-11, 26 KOs) began his pro career with a knockout of Leroy Loscar in November of 2002 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. He will end it in the cruiserweight division as the main event of a pro-am fight card Aug. 27 at Kelly Automotive Park.

His opponent is yet to be determined.

“I hired a match-maker to determine that,” said Minto, 41, who is promoting the show. “There are other people putting the fight card together.

“I need to concentrate on me. My biggest emotion right now is the fear of getting my (butt) kicked in front of people in my hometown. That fear is making me work hard and train.

“I don’t want to look bad. I want to go out looking good, not making a joke of myself,” he added.

Minto said the likelihood of him facing an international opponent in his farewell bout is increasing. His foe may come from Hungary or the Czech Republic.

“It’s going to be a tough person,” he promised. “The Pa. Commission is very strict about that and that organization has to approve whoever the fighter is. That’s OK. I want to be challenged.”

The cruiserweight limit is 199 pounds. Minto is currently 10 pounds over that.

He is scheduled to begin training with former world champion Paul Spadafora today in Pittsburgh.

“Everybody has a past and he’s had his troubles,” Minto said of Spadafora. “But he is very knowledgeable of the sport. He successfully defended his world title many times. I know he can help me.”

Minto has not fought in Butler since stopping Pierre Karam in two rounds at Ghost Riders six years ago. He has fought in Russia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Poland since.

Minto’s last fight was a TKO loss to Edmund Gerber (25-2) March 5 in Russia.

“You can’t do this forever,” Minto said of boxing. “Some of my last fights, I took when I wasn’t 100 percent ready. It was getting harder to get good fights and it was getting harder at home, with me being gone a lot.

“I still feel good, but as you get older, your ability to take a punch diminishes a bit. People have been telling me for the past few years that I should quit, that I might get hurt. This is a ‘hurt’ business. There’s always that risk.

“My kids are 14 and 16 now and I’m busy. It’s time,” he added.

Minto and his wife, Heidi, have been married for 14 years.

“She’s supported me, but she’s happy about this,” Minto said of his retirement. “It’s time I was around all of the time.”

Following Minto’s last fight, he plans to train boxers, breed dogs and promote boxing shows.

The undercard Aug. 27 will feature two other profights — one involving former NFL defensive end Ray Edwards, 10-0-1 as a heavyweight — and a number of amateur bouts.

“I’m not putting together the amateur card, but I imagine a number of local fighters will be involved,” Minto said.

A tent may be placed over the ring to guard against a rainy night. Ticket information for the fight show has not been released.

This will mark Minto’s third career fight at the Butler ballpark. He scored a first-round TKO of John Poore in 2008 and won by technical decision over previously unbeaten Donnell Holmes in 2009.