by James Slater – He may not exactly have been meeting any top names, but 33-year-old heavyweight Brian “The Beast” Minto has been keeping himself extremely active just lately. Since his points loss to Germany’s Luan Krasniqi back in March of 2007 Minto has boxed regularly every three or four months against limited opposition..
Getting the job done whilst remaining sharp, Minto has collected four 1st round stoppages in a row. Next up for the slugger from Butler, Pennsylvania is another journey-man, trial-horse type, in the 21-16(10) Marcus McGee – a 37-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In his last-but-one fight McGee went the distance with British heavyweight Danny Williams earlier this year, surviving more than one trip to the floor to make it to the end of the six rounds. McGee has picked up one win since, an August points win over Douglas Robertson, who has a 2-16-2 record. He will at least be in fighting shape for his November 1st date with Minto.
Still, what we all want is for the 31-2(20) Minto to step up already and face a big name. Minto has his fans, fans who like watching him because he provides action and always come out looking to take his opponent out, but we are still unsure how good he actually is. No disrespect to McGee, but a win over him, even another 1st round victory, will tell us little about Minto and his chances against the elite of the heavyweight division.
“The Beast” is likeable, rugged, he can punch and he WANTS to fight. In today’s heavyweight world this has been enough for him to make a name for himself. But, to repeat, he should be stepping up in class now if he wants to go anywhere. At age 33 the clock is ticking. Fighting the Marcus McGees of the world will do nothing for Minto, apart from earn him some decent change and keep his skills sharp. Another quick win is a distinct possibility in November, but this too, could be hurting Minto. With no real ring time to speak of since the 12-rounds with Krasniqi, has Minto learnt anything since his unanimous decision loss? We don’t know. Neither does he.
If they could be made, fights with guys like Jason Estrada, Kevin Johnson, Devin Vargas and a returning Tony Thompson would be great match-ups for Minto. If he could get a win over one of these guys, a KO win especially, Minto would have made a big statement. In the meantime, however, we have to make do with Minto Vs. the Chad Van Sickles and Marcus McGees out there.
Look for another quick win for “The Beast” on November 1st – possibly even his fifth one-round job in a row!