03.06.08 – by James Slater: One of the most exciting heavyweight sluggers out there today, 33-year-old Brian “The Beast” Minto, fights again this coming July 2nd in his hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania. According to BoxRec, Minto will square off with 37-year-old John Poore, a 20-2(18) heavyweight who is also from Pennsylvania..
Minto really should have no problem with Poore. In the past the veteran has been stopped by Cerrone Fox (TKO by 1) and before that by Robert Hawkins (TKO by 5). Clearly then, the chances of Poore lasting very long with the big-punching Minto are pretty remote. Minto is a capable fighter, far more capable than to be treading water with fights such as this one. But is Minto simply choosing to fight guys a number of levels below him, or, for whatever reason, is the heavyweight contender struggling to get good fights?
For the time being, as he awaits a big name that is willing to get in the ring with him, Minto keeps himself sharp against opponents the calibre of Poore. At least Minto is fighting regularly, though. Fighting roughly once every four months since his points loss to Luan Krasniqi, Minto has racked up three wins since the setback he suffered in March of last year. Not only is Minto fighting regularly, but he is also making a habit of winning in the very same round – the first!
Having scored 1st round stoppages in his last three bouts, Minto has been demonstrating his punching power. Sure, the opposition he flattened so quickly was limited, but Minto got rid of his overmatched foes the way a promising heavyweight should. For the record, it was Ray Lunsford, Byron Polley and Chad Van Sickle who each went in one round. Bottom line, the fans like to see knockouts, especially from a heavyweight. Brian Minto is therefore giving his fans what they want. Can “The Beast” now go up in class ands continue scoring fast and impressive looking KO’s? This is what we want to find out.
This is the year Minto should really be making his move. His confidence now back after the close decision he lost to Krasniqi in Germany, Minto versus a top-ten fighter would be a very interesting bout indeed. We know Minto can punch, we know he’s pretty fast and we know he has heart and a fearless attitude. What we need to know now is whether or not he is world championship material.
Unfortunately, a win over John Poore will tell us very little about Minto’s prospects. Look for “The Beast” to score his fourth 1st round KO in a row come July 2nd.