Brian Minto: “I’m not taking Sample lightly!”
 INTERVIEW by Benny Henderson Jr - AKA "Big Dog" (Aug 10, 2006)
‘All American heavyweight’ hopeful Brian Minto, 25-1 (14), is a man on a mission to defy the critics and march on to become a major player in the heavyweight division to reach his goal of becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Despite the nay-sayers that surround him with negative comments on his size and abilities to do so, the Butler boxer isn’t letting the unconstructive criticism get under his skin, and all though opinions of him may vary nobody can deny his heart and drive for the game, and regardless of what may be said on the topic of Minto and the big boy division his
thoughts are on the matter at hand, Andy Sample, and Brian isn’t taking this task lightly.
This Friday night August 11th at the Mountaineer Race Track in Chester, WV, the once-beated Brian Minto will square off against the Kansas native and all around journeyman Andy Sample, 34-13-2 (22), in a scheduled six round bout, on the under card of the Monty Meza Clay vs. Dean White match-up on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. To most this match-up would be considered a ‘stay busy’ fight and a possible ‘easy win’ considering the fact that Sample has been put to sleep a total of thirteen times in his career, seven down falls in his last ten, but for Brian it is much more he explains, “This is a big fight for my career, I am staying busy and as well taking a big risk, and despite his record I am not over looking Andy Sample, he earned thirty-four wins somehow, so I am not taking Sample lightly.”
Minto was last seen two months ago on ESPN2 battling out a ten round unanimous decision victory over the tough New Yorker Danny Batchelder, and before that he handed out Billy Zumbrun’s seventh loss of his career on the same network, but the thirty-one year old rising star is best known for his entertaining knock down drag outs and most certainly unforgettable throw downs against Vinny Maddalone. Brian rose up off the canvas from a first round knockdown to wage war and gain a thrilling tenth and final round knock out over Maddalone, then went on to rock, drop and stop Maddalone in October of ’05 in the seventh round of the rematch. Both fights gained Minto fight fans from all around the world and made him a TV friendly fighter.
With his past success Minto knows that a convincing and yet entertaining W over Sample this Friday night can sweeten the pot for future battles.
“I have to really bring it in this fight, if I can come on strong in this bout it could possibly set me up for one of my biggest fights of my career to come, so I am going to take care of business,” Minto explained to the Doghouse.
Brian has been in camp the past four weeks in preparation for this match-up and feels up to the test. “Camp has been going really well, I have sparred about forty-five rounds with the undefeated cruiserweight prospect Danny Harvison, he’s a big kid standing at about 6’3” and I am ready for Friday night, I am going to come in and set the pace, get inside of his jab and go to work,” explains Brian.
What does Minto expect from his opponent?
“From what I seen of Sample he comes to fight, he tries to come into shape and he tries to move around a lot and box, but he can’t take a punch, but as I said before I don’t look past anybody and I am definitely planning on taking care of business,” stated Minto.
So this Friday night some may see it as a walkover bout, but Brian sees it as an opportunity to continue on, and a risk at that, but a risk he is willing to take to climb another rung in the heavyweight ladder. And although a handful have underestimated him as a future threat in the heavyweight division, he walks in stride marching on in anticipation of making his mark and staking his claim as a key participant in the heavyweight division, and had this to say in closing to his detractors.
“I fight for my family, I fight to feed them and give them a good stable home and life, they are my inspiration, and the heavyweight division is where the money is, it beats any eight hour a day job around. And people are going to have their opinions, but I am a marketable heavyweight being a smaller guy and that puts food on the table, and in time they will see, let people take me lightly, because either way I am going to take care of business.”
I would like to thank Brian Minto for his time and thoughts, for more information on the rising heavyweight star visit his new official website www.brianmintoboxing.com Be sure to stop by and cast your vote on the outcome of this Friday’s fight.
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