Brian Minto has learned how to roll with the punches — outside the ring as well as in.

The veteran Butler heavyweight boxer, 25-1 with 14 knockouts, was in line for a big-money fight with James Toney (69-4) Sept. 2 on Showtime, but he was passed over for Samuel Peter (26-1).

Peter, a member of Duva Boxing Inc., along with Minto, will fight Toney in the Staples Center in Los Angeles as part of a World Boxing Council heavyweight title eliminator. The winner of that fight faces the winner of the Aug. 12 Hasim Rahman (41-5-2)-Oleg Maskaev (32-5) bout for the WBC championship.

"Dino (Duva) saw a chance to slide Samuel in there and make it a title eliminator, so he took it,"Minto said. "I'm OKwith that. My time will come.

"Samuel's getting $800,000 for that fight. I was almost in that position. To me, it shows I'm getting close."

Minto, 31, still has an opportunity to fight in the co-main event on that Sept. 2 card "if the opponent and the money are right,"he said.

"Any fight is risky, but I'm not going to take any dumb fights at this point,"Minto added. "I'll fight anybody if the money's right — but that's a big if."

In the meantime, Minto has accepted a fight against Andy Sample (34-13-2) of Topeka, Kan., on an Aug. 4 card at Mountaineer Racetrack and Resort in Chester, W. Va.

That bout will not be the main event. It will be scheduled for six or eight rounds.

"I'm just taking that fight to keep busy,"Minto said. "And I like fighting close to home when the opportunity's there."

While Minto has won his last seven fights, beating opponents holding a combined record of 154-47-4, Sample has dropped six of his last eight fights and failed to get through the third round in any of those defeats.

Sample, 29, began his pro career in 1996 and had 18 fights in his first two years, winning them all. He was 23-0 midway through 1998, but he has compiled a mark of 11-13 since then.

Minto has collected four unanimous decisions, two TKOs and one knockout in his last seven fights.

Sample stands 6-feet-4 and weighs nearly 240 pounds. Minto weighs 215.

"He's another big guy with a good record,"Minto said.

Jean Francois Bergeron (23-0) knocked out Sample in the latter's last fight on June 2. Sample's last win was a six-round decision over Karl Evans (2-12-1) on March 4.

Minto was offered an opportunity to fight Evander Holyfield in the former champion's upcoming comeback bout, but the offer was for only $25,000.

That bid was declined and Holyfield is fighting Jeremy Bates, who Minto defeated for the West Virginia heavyweight crown two years ago.

"I don't care how old the guy is, he can still hit and he's still dangerous,"Minto said of Holyfield. "He beat Rahman just two years ago.

"I'd fight (Holyfield) for decent money, but I'm not going to fight him just to fight him."

Minto said there is still a chance he'll get on that Showtime card in September as negotiations are ongoing. He insists he can fight on that card as well as the Aug. 4 card in West Virginia.

"There's enough down time there. That's why I took this (Aug. 4)fight,"he said.

Minto will hold a public workout in the ring from noon to 4 p.m. July 22 at Clearview Mall. He will be sparring, doing mitt work and signing autographs during that time.