It's fitting that Brian Minto is fighting in Atlantic City this weekend.

He's rolling the dice when he steps into the ring against 6-foot-4 knockout artist Chris Arreola.

Minto will be giving away five inches in height and at least 30 pounds Saturday night when he faces a guy who's knocked out 24 of 28 opponents and who went 10 bruising rounds against WBC champion Vitali Klitschko Sept. 26 without getting knocked down.

But, as Minto is quick to point out, the risk is worth the potential reward.

This 10-round heavyweight bout, which will be televised at 9:30 p.m. Saturday on HBO, is virtually a title eliminator bout.

The winner likely moves on to a shot at one of the world titles. WBA champion David Hay has expressed interest in fighting Minto should he defeat Arreola.

To expect this fight to go the full 10 rounds is a reach. Minto is 34-2 with 21 knockouts in his own right. Minto averages just under five rounds per fight in his pro career while Arreola averages just over three rounds per fight.

The longer the fight goes, the better chance Minto has of winning. Arreola is looking for an impressive knockout victory at the Butler fighter's expense.

Truth be told, he might get it. This is heavyweight boxing. People get hit. People go down.

Minto must be considered a slight underdog in this fight. Arreola has fought better competition of late, he's physically bigger and he's ranked higher.

But Minto has more than a puncher's chance. This fight gives him the opportunity to be near the top of the charts among American heavyweights.

It could happen for him.

Regardless of how this fight turns out, Minto's journey has been an impressive one.

He didn't turn pro until he was 28. He didn't have a ton of amateur fights under his belt when he did.

Early in his career, Minto fought often. He stayed busy by taking on nine opponents in 2003 and nine more in 2004.

As his caliber of opponents increased, his ring appearances decreased. He fought five times in 2005, four times in 2006, three times each in 2007 and 2008.

The Arreola fight marks his third bout of this year — and the biggest of his career.

For the past two years, Minto has been looking for this opportunity. He fought in the Butler area on a number of occasions, using his own money to put on shows, just to stay busy.

He's stayed hungry in the ring. Now the fighter known as "The Beast" has a chance to feast on some major prey in Atlantic City.

It's time to roll the dice.

He deserves a lot of credit for doing what it's taken just to get to the table.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.