What's next for Brian Minto?

More muscle mass, more rest - and a lot more money.

Fresh off his 10th-round knockout of Vincent Maddalone last Friday in Atlantic City, the Butler heavyweight boxer is flying to Florida next month to meet with legendary fight promoter Don King.

"Don King wants to sign the leading candidate for the next Great White Hope," said Pat Nelson, Minto's manager. "He's very interested in Brian."

Minto, 29, is 18-0 with 11 knockouts. His win over Maddalone (21-2) improved Minto's world ranking to No. 54 and his U.S. ranking to No. 29.

Among white pro heavyweights, only Tye Fields (30-1) is ranked higher by BoxRec.com and "he hasn't fought in over a year," Nelson said.

"That win over Maddalone opened a lot of doors for me," Minto said. "I'm in no hurry to make any decisions. It's time for me to make more money doing this, though.

"I'm going to sit back and take the best deal I can. I'm not going to accept any four-figure paydays anymore," he added.

Since last Friday, Minto has heard from national promoter Lou DiBella, New York City promoter Cedric Kushner and Don King Productions, among others.

Eric Bottjer, the matchmaker for King, attended the Minto-Maddalone fight.

Nelson said a contract with King is "almost a done deal. We're just trying to work out the signing bonus."

Nelson said the proposed contract with King would have Minto fighting five or six times a year and receive a minimum purse of $10,000 per fight.

"That minimum purse would be when Brian fights somebody who's 12-10 or something, the matches between his big fights," Nelson said. "When he's fighting somebody prominent, he'd obviously get a lot more."

A rematch with Maddalone might occur on HBO in November. The bout would be a co-feature on the Antonio Tarver card.

Neither Minto nor his trainer, Tom Yankello, is hesitant about facing Maddalone again.

"Give me six figures to fight him on HBO and I'll sign it with my own blood," Minto said.

Yankello had predicted a seventh-round knockout of Maddalone last weekend. Instead, Minto needed a knockout in the final round to win the bout and was knocked down himself in the first round.

"Brian had him primed for a knockout in the seventh round despite that early knockdown," Yankello said. "He just didn't have the physical stamina to finish him off.

"If they fight again, it will go differently. We're still working on Brian's defense and he won't be knocked down early like that again. He will dictate the pace better next time.

"I still think he'll knock him out in the sixth or seventh round," Yankello added.

Minto is meeting with a strength trainer in Baltimore next week. After weighing in at 208 pounds against Maddalone, he wants to increase his weight to 215 or 220.

"All muscle mass," Minto emphasized. "I want to get stronger without losing my quickness."

Nelson said Minto's small size for a heavyweight - he stands 5-feet-11 - adds to his attractiveness in the ring.

"It's always David vs. Goliath when Brian fights in this division - and who ever roots for Goliath?" he said.

Yankello said Minto will not fight again until the middle of October, at the earliest.

"He needs rest right now," Yankello said. "His hands are sore and he's tired. He's been going at a pretty good pace for a while now.

A pro boxing trainer for 12 years, Yankello said Minto "is one of the most courageous kids I've ever been around."

"Brian has all of the intangibles to climb toward the top. He has punching power in both hands, the will of a champion and the heart of a lion. He has what it takes to become heavyweight champion of the world. I really believe that," Yankello added.