Minto records TKO vs. Schulz
Brian Minto had to travel overseas to find the respect in the ring he's been seeking for so long.
And he found it.
Minto, 31, of Butler, overcame a broken right thumb and dominated former world heavyweight boxing title contender Axel Schulz from the second round on Saturday night at Garry-Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany, before winning by a technical knockoutwith 1:33 remaining in Round 6.
"Ibroke my thumb sparring 18 days before the fight,"Minto said Sunday night. "The break was an eighth of an inch off from needing a pin put in, which would have prevented the fight.
"They put a cast on that I could take off from time to time to keep training. I went on a bone-growth stimulator to help speed up the healing process.
"I had to keep the faith and get through it. ... This was the biggest fight of my career,"Minto added.
It wasn't until the day before the fight that Minto could land punches with his right hand without feeling pain.
"As it turned out, that injury helped me,"he said. "It forced me to be a more balanced fighter in the ring and made me concentrate on using my left."
It was his left jab and left hook that enabled Minto to gain control of the bout.
The 38-year-old Schulz (26-6-1), fighting for the first time in seven years, was trapped in his own corner of the ring midway through the sixth round. He turned his back to a barrage of Minto punches as Schulz's handlers threw in the towel.
Schulz's left eye was nearly swollen shut and a large contusion was evident under his right eye before the sixth round even began.
"By the second round, I knew I was going to win the fight,"Minto said.
Minto (27-1, 16 KOs) won every round but the first, which Schulz was able to claim with an effective left jab that kept the smaller Minto away from him.
Early in Round 2, Minto began ducking that jab and landing a few of his own. Schulz had no counter and Minto quickly got inside and started pounding Schulz with body punches.Warned for low blows on three occasions in the fight before finally being penalized a point in Round 5, Minto continued his aggressive attack until the bout was stopped.He caught Schulz directly on the nose with left jabs in the second and fifth rounds. He staggered Schulz with a left hook late in the fourth round, then sent the wobbly German to the canvas with a right to the top of the head seconds later.Schulz quickly got to his feet and took the standing-eight count. He survived the fifth round despite rarely throwing a punch before succumbing in the sixth.Photographers surrounded the ring after the fight. Minto embraced Schulz, then posed for numerous pictures, his right arm draped around the popular German's shoulders.Minto said photographers followed him around all week."Ifelt like a celebrity over there,"Minto said. "Boxing is 10 times more important in Germany than it is here. Everywhere I went, people wanted a picture taken with me."I felt like Rocky Balboa fighting that Russian. I was standing in the middle of the ring before the fight hearing 15,000 people chanting Ax-el, Ax-el! It pumped me up."He was the one who looked nervous and unsure of himself. I knew from the start I had everything to gain and nothing to lose,"Minto added.
The win was Minto's ninth in a row. Schulz has not decided whether to continue his comeback or return to retirement.Schulz had fought for the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title four times, losing to George Foreman, Francois Botha, Michael Moorer and Wladimir Klitschko.He retired after the loss by TKOto Klitschko. Longtime promoter Don King convinced him to return to the ring, insisting Schulz could compete with today's top heavyweights.Minto said he will likely return to Germany for his next fight."I beat their icon and now they like me," he said. "My best opportunities may be over there."Possible opponents include retired champion Dariusz Michalczewski, who, like Schulz, is considering a comeback, or current IBFchampion Klitschko.
