CHESTER, W.Va. - The competition wasn't much. Brian Minto's ring skills were too much.

The Butler heavyweight boxer improved his professional record to 17-0 with 11 knockouts Wednesday night when he stopped Kevin Tallon via the three-knockdown rule in the Grande Ballroom of Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort.

When Tallon hit the canvas for the third time, the bout was stopped with just two seconds left in the second round.

"I'm surprised he kept going after the first knockdown," Minto said. "He's a pretty tough guy."

But the 41-year-old Lawrenceburg, Ind., fighter was no match for Minto.

The first round was relatively uneventful, with Minto establishing his left jab and working Tallon (9-16, 8 KOs) with some body shots late in the first round.

Tallon did graze Minto with a long left hook at the end of the round.

"That was the only time he hit me in the fight, but he didn't hurt me," Minto said.

Minto picked up the pace in the second round, backing Tallon against the ropes and dropping him to his knees with a combination of punches midway through.

Tallon was cut below the right ear by the blows.

Seconds after Tallon took the standing-eight count, Minto floored him again with a quick left jab.

"It caught him square on the tip of the nose," said George Linberger, a pro heavyweight and a friend of Tallon's who was working his corner. "I know it hurt him."

Tallon is deaf and Linberger said it was difficult communicating with him between rounds.

"Kevin has a lot of heart and he tries so hard," Linberger said. "Our plan was to try to counter Brian's initial moves, but he (Minto) was too quick on his feet."

The final knockdown was the most severe. Minto knocked Tallon off balance with a straight right hand, then sent him to the canvas with a right cross to the chin.

"I got the work in that I wanted," Minto said. "We were working on hitting and moving, hitting and moving, picking up speed."

Minto will fight Vincent Maddalone (21-1) in a 10-round co-main event July 23 in Atlantic City, N.J. The bout will be telecast live on ESPN2.

The Minto-Tallon fight will be telecast on tape delay at 7 p.m. Saturday by Fox Sports Pittsburgh.

"The key will be frustrating Maddalone and throwing him off his game by the middle rounds," Minto said. "He likes to come straight in and I have to be agile in the ring, land my punches and not let him counter.

"That's what I was trying to do tonight."

Tallon dropped his seventh straight fight. He has failed to get out of the second round in five of the last six bouts.

"He feels like he can still compete," Linberger said. "It's hard to tell someone when to hang it up. Each boxer has to assess his own situation and decide whether to retire because of age or if he can't win anymore.

"Brian looks on top of his game, though. He's very quick and hits hard for a lighter heavyweight," he added.

Minto weighed in at 210 pounds. Tallon weighed in at 222.

Minto's manager, Pat Nelson, said his next step is to defeat Maddalone and to sign with a national promoter.

"Brian's going to turn 30 pretty soon and it's time to make him a contender in the heavyweight ranks," Nelson said.

If Minto defeats Maddalone, Nelson hopes to negotiate a contract with either Don King, Lou DiBella or Main Event.

"Those are the three promoters connected with HBO," Nelson said. "HBO turns boxers into stars and that's where we want to get Brian.

"A win over a top fighter on national TV should make him very marketable."

Minto admitted that booking the Tallon fight 16 days before Maddalone was "taking a risk."

"I had to be careful not to mess anything up," he said. "I didn't want to mix in tight with him because I didn't want to chance a head-butt or getting cut … Everything worked out OK."