CHESTER, W.Va. — It took Brian Minto just two minutes to lift a weight off his shoulders — and to drop Matt Hicks to his knees.

With throngs of fans from his hometown of Butler cheering him on, Minto landed an overhand right that felled Hicks to the canvas just 2 minutes and 48 seconds into the first round of their heavyweight fight at the Harv at Mountaineer Racetrack Casino and Resort late Saturday night.

Hicks crumpled to his knees after the punch and staggered to his feet a few seconds later, but could not continue.

“I’ve never been stopped like that,” Hicks mumbled. “It’s embarrassing.”

For Minto, it was vindication.

Minto (36-5, 23 KOs) had come into the fight with losses in three of his last four bouts, including a third-round TKO at the hands of Tony Grano in January.

After that loss, many had considered the 37-year-old washed up.

“Everybody thought I was done. Everybody,” Minto said. “I had a big point to prove to all these naysayers and haters who talked all this garbage on me. I’m here to show you where I came from and I’m not finished yet. I’m going to show you where hard work can take you.”

Hicks presented Minto with a perfect challenge. Hicks, a former pro football player, weighed in at 253 pounds — 33 pounds heavier than Minto — and also stood 5 inches taller than his foe.

Hicks (13-7) carried into the ring a reputation as a powerful puncher with 12 of his 13 wins coming by knockout.

It didn’t matter as Minto showed he had some punching power, as well.

“I think I proved a point by getting in with a bigger heavyweight and knocking him out,” Minto said. “I hit him with one punch and knocked him out.”

Minto returned to his old trainer, Tommy Yankello, seven weeks ago to prepare for this fight. The two parted ways in 2009 — a decision Minto said was a mistake.

The reunion already has proved to be a good one for both parties.

“Getting back with this guy,” Minto said, pointing at Yankello, “is going to be big.”

Yankello’s task this time around is shoring up Minto’s defense, which should yield more knockouts, Yankello said.

“Believe it or not, (knockouts) come from him letting things flow,” Yankello said. “When you’re trying to knock someone out, it doesn’t happen. When you are just letting it flow, letting it just happen, it creates itself.”

Minto and Yankello are hoping this win will lead to bigger fights in the future.

“They’re going to look at (Hicks) and know he wasn’t a top-notch opponent,” Yankello said. “But, when Brian was with me for a while, he had a string of first-round knockouts. I think it can lead to something.”

Minto’s motto now: The more fights, the better.

Part of the reason for his slump was inactivity — he went 14 months between his victory over Pierre Karam at Ghost Riders in Center Township to his loss to Grano in Verona, N.Y.

“I’d like to see him get back in there in the next couple of months,” Yankello said. “He needs to stay active. And he’s 37. You don’t want to wait forever on this.”

Whatever happens in the future, Minto isn’t taking anything for granted.

“You know, nobody is successful at their first try at anything,” Minto said. “That’s why I’m trying to pick myself back up because I was depressed there for a while.”