ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — While Brian Minto's boxing career isn't over, it may be changing direction.

Minto's bid for a world heavyweight title shot was ended — at least for the near future — by his fourth-round TKO loss to Chris Arreola Saturday night.

The results of a hearing on the status of Minto's NABO heavyweight title will be released early in 2010.

"He's probably still going to have that belt to defend, maybe in March or sometime in the spring," said Pat Nelson, Minto's manager. "That title will still get Brian a good fight and keep his ranking up there."

Minto (34-3, 21 KOs) entered the Arreola fight ranked No. 5 by the WBO, No. 15 by the WBA and No. 17 by the WBC.

He is considering moving into the cruiserweight division, which carries a weight limit of 200 pounds. Minto weighed in at 218 on Friday.

"I don't know if anyone in that (cruiserweight) division could handle that guy," Arreola said.

"It's something we're looking at," Minto admitted. "Nothing's been decided. I am giving up a lot weight at heavyweight, but I've been doing that. I'm used to it."

The upper echelon of the heavyweight division — including every champion — consists of fighters much larger than the 5-foot-11 Minto.

"A 218-pound guy facing a 263-pound guy at this level ... It's almost unfair," Nelson said. "The size differential played a major factor in how this fight played out."

Tom Yankello,Minto's trainer, said the size differential "was a factor," but maybe not a big one.

"Brian showed everybody something tonight," Yankello said. "You have to realize he was in the ring with one of the top four or five heavyweights in the world and was doing very well.

"The heavyweight division is all about who gets caught. Brian got caught tonight, that's all. I can't call that fight a mismatch."

Yankello said experience was a bigger factor. Arreola, 28, has been in the boxing game since age 7. Arreola was the National Golden Gloves champion in 2001 and his father was an amateur boxer.

"That guy had 250 amateur fights. Brian had 18," Yankello said. "Experience means a lot in this game.

"The big question is how well Brian could handle fighting and training at 200 pounds. Dropping 20 pounds isn't easy in this sport. He'd have to take a few months to do it, maybe fight at heavyweight at 209, see how that goes and drop more from there."

Either way, Minto isn't going away.

"Brian did nothing to hurt his name tonight," Nelson said. "This was a gutsy performance. Now the boxing world knows what this guy is all about."