Jeremy Bates says he has all of his outside-the-ring problems worked out.

Brian Minto hopes to give him some inside-the-ring problems.

Minto, 28, will fight Bates, 30, of Ashland, Ky., for the vacant West Virginia heavyweight championship Friday at the Wheeling (W.Va.) Race Track and Gaming Center.

The title match, which is the main event of an eight-bout pro card, is scheduled for 10 rounds. It will be the first 10-round fight of Minto's pro career.

The Butler resident is 13-0 in his pro career with six knockouts. Bates is 17-7 with all of his wins coming on knockouts.

"I've been working hard on my defense," Minto said. "This guy throws a lot of wide shots and I'm concerned about getting hit with one while I'm stepping back.

"I'm still confident. I'm in good shape and I'm ready to fight," he added.

All 600 seats in the ballroom have been sold, including 188 to Minto supporters in the Butler area. A limited number of standing-room tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. at the fight venue.

Minto's last two fights have been six-round unanimous decisions over Lenzie Morgan (14-28) of Youngstown, Ohio, and Willis Lockett (6-3-3) of Takoma Park, Md. The latter bout was in Las Vegas.

Bates won his last two fights with first-round knockouts. His most recent KO was against Jeff Lally (25-21) of Louisville, Ky.

"There's no secret to what I try to do in the ring," Bates said. "I'm not some slick pretty boy. I'm a strong guy and I'm gonna knock you out.

"I've got nothing against Brian Minto. He's a nice, respectful guy, but he's in the way of where I want to get. He's blocking me from supporting my wife and kids, and I'm going to do everything I can to make him unconscious," Bates added.

Bates was a three-time Kentucky Golden Gloves champion and two-time Eastern Region champion as an amateur.

He was 74-26 overall as an amateur and turned pro when he was 25. He began honing his boxing skills through the Boys Club in his area.

"I boxed a little bit as a young kid and received a baseball scholarship to a small private college in Kentucky," Bates said. "I was getting married and we had a baby soon after that.

"I got bored, was struggling financially trying to support a wife and child," he added. "I started going to the Boys Club in town because I couldn't afford to do anything else."

Bates got a divorce, married another woman two weeks ago and went through a lengthy court battle to gain sole custody of his first daughter.

Bates said it was during those court battles that his losses mounted in the boxing ring.

"I couldn't maintain focus and I fell behind in my training," he said. "That was a huge transition in my life. I was a 27-year-old single guy trying to raise a 2-year-old girl.

"Dressing her up, fixing her hair - that was a huge change I was going through," he added.

Bates, who manages a shipping-and-receiving company in Kentucky, said he has since adjusted his life and is gaining momentum in the ring again.

"Is this fight the most important thing in my life right now? No," he said. "But boxing's done everything for me in life. I don't know where I'd be right now without it."

Minto has been all about boxing since signing a deal with co-manager and promoter Felix Dialoiso a few weeks ago.

Minto has been sparring with Olympic boxer Calvin Brock and began tapering down last week.

"I'm in the process of building my strength up for this fight," Minto said. "I've been working on my jab, throwing them from all angles.

"I respect this guy's power, but I don't think he's all that fast. He stands right in front of you and tries to set things up. I can't let him do that.

"He can take a punch, but he doesn't use defense, he doesn't move his head," Minto added.

Should Minto win this fight, he might face a mandatory title defense against Abraham Okiene (11-0) of Africa. He could also fight Billy Douglas (9-0), younger brother of former heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas.

Minto's next fight after Friday will likely be at Harmarville some time in May.