Last August 14th, Brian “The Beast” Minto stepped into the ring against the undefeated Donnell “The Real Touch of Sleep” Holmes for the vacant WBO NABO heavyweight title belt. Also on the line was Minto’s WBA Fedecentro heavyweight title belt. The fight was going Minto’s way, as he built up a very early lead winning the first three rounds, backing up Holmes with every punch landed. Then in the fourth round, Holmes applied a bit more pressure, landing his jab with more frequency. Sometime during that round, an accidental clash of heads opened up a cut over the left eye of Brian Minto. In Minto’s corner, the cut man worked feverishly to close the cut, but the ringside physician decided the cut was too bad for Minto to continue. Confusion reigned in the ring for a few minutes as both camps lobbied for what they felt was the correct way to decide the fate of the two fighters. Referee Rick Steigerwald ruled that the cut was due to an accidental clash of heads, but he had not made that ruling at the time of the clash, which only added to the confusion. Finally the ring announcer pulled down the microphone and told the audience that they had come to a technical decision, and announced it 39-37 and 40-36 twice for the winner and new WBO NABO heavyweight titleholder, Brian “The Beast” Minto. Well, that should have been the end of it. All of the ringside officials agreed to this decision that night and the Pennsylvania State Code, Title 58, Chapter 21 “Professional Boxing”, #21.5 3 (d) states” If a boxer in a contest scheduled for more than four rounds receives an accidental foul that renders the boxer immediately unable to continue and less than four rounds have been completed, the referee shall rule the decision a ‘‘no contest.’’ . If at least four rounds have been completed, the boxer ahead on the scorecards shall be awarded the decision”. But that is not the end of it. It seems now the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission has overturned that decision, without hearing from Brian Minto or the referee.
Convicted Artist Magazine sat down for an exclusive talk with Brian Minto on this fight and the latest on the decision to overturn the fight.
Bob Carroll (BC): Brian, going back to August 14th, what happened in your corner that ended the fight?
Brian Minto (BM): I had a nasty cut over my left eye from a clash of heads and I was having trouble seeing out of my eye and the doctor called it I was having blurriness, it was a nasty cut. Holmes corner was saying it came from a punch, but no where on the tape is evident he was throwing a punch at the time.
BC: After the fight, did any of the ringside officials say anything about the possibility of an official review of this fight, or even the possibility it may be overturned at a later date?
BM: Yeah, they said it could be reviewed, but it had to be conclusive evidence to overturn it. The referee stated that he saw it and the cut came from a clash of heads. They did say they were due today for the appeal. His (Holmes) manager was present at the meeting, we were told we didn’t need to be present. I think that it was handled the wrong way, the referee wasn’t even there today. (Holmes) had a representative there and I had no one there. It took them three hours to go over it and I think it’s the biggest joke and travesty that has happened in boxing. Especially my own state athletic commission, it’s kinda funny.
BC: What has the WBO said about the decision to overturn the fight?
BM: The WBO official even saw the butt and he said it was clearly a clash of heads. He looked at the tape and said the ruling should stand, I should still be the WBO NABO champion, and let’s move on. Obviously today’s meeting wasn’t the way I wanted it to go and the unexpected happened. Now it’s my turn to go cry and make these people look stupid. I think all in all, the referee makes the call and he should have been the one present in this meeting they had to overturn it. He should have been able to state what he saw and say why he made the call. He is already standing on his call. He went over at the end of the round and said “accidental head butt, accidental head butt” and I was cut. You can even see on the video where I turned my head twice after it happened and I said “I got butted”, the ref said, “I know, keep working”. It’s a shame, but you know what, his excuse is that he was waiting for after the fourth round to start a fight. I think that is the biggest ridiculous excuse I have ever heard. I have never been knocked out in my entire boxing career, what make him think he is going to stop me after four rounds? It’s just a joke! I am more disappointed in the commission not doing the right thing. So obviously now you leave it up to the attorneys. I have to get an attorney involved and do what I have to do. I know that the cut occurred from a head butt and I am being railroaded.
BC: Did you hear anything from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission about a meeting concerning the outcome and did they invite you or anyone involved in this fight to testify?
BM: Yeah, TODAY he called me at three o’clock he called me and said “We overturned it”, I said “come on, quit joking around” , because I thought he was just messing with me, but he said “no, I’m serious”. That’s when I just said”Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me!” The commission told us we did not have to be present at the meeting, which I think was wrong, the referee wasn’t there and (Holmes) had a representative present. I don’t know if it was his attorney, or his manager, I believe it was his manager. He threatened them with a lawsuit if it was not overturned so, I had no idea.
BC: Did you speak with Donnell Holmes after the fight, and if so, did he say anything about the decision?
BM: Yeah, he was kinda complaining. He said, you know we banged heads a couple of times, it was possibly from a head butt. He knows it was a head butt, not a punch. It’s a shame that it has to come to this, but, you know, now it has to go through the court system. It’s going to stink and stir up a lot of controversy.
BC: We heard a couple of weeks ago what Paulie Malignaggi thought of boxing, going off after losing a bad decision. What does something like this do to you as a fighter and also a fan of the fight game?
BM: It just sours me Bob. It discourages me, it makes boxing look bad. This could hurt my career because I am the WBO NABO champ, but now it’s overturned and the title is again vacant. Now somebody else gets to fight for my title, after I paid the sanctioning fees for the belt. Even the WBO official said it was a clash of heads and now the state commission is fabricating a story that they clearly see that the cut came from a punch. That decision should be left up to the referee, who has a birds eye view. The tapes that they have from this fight, it’s hard to see the clash, but I can point out when it occurred. There was no point in the fight where I got hit by a left hook that caught me on the left side of my eye. You know, that’s a funny story, I mean how many people get cut on the left side of their face, from a left hook? It’s almost impossible.
BC: Is there a rematch possibility, or what else lies ahead for Brian Minto?
BM: Nah, a rematch? Who’s gonna pay for it? I paid this guy a substantial amount of money to come to my hometown to fight me. TV wouldn’t buy him, Showtime wouldn’t buy him, ESPN had no dates available, so I highly doubt that a rematch is going to take place. No one is going to buy it, pay for it obviously, so it’s not worth it to me. I’m the draw in my own hometown. I brought him in, I won the fight, you know it wasn’t the outcome that I wanted to happen, but under the rules of boxing, I won the fight. If it happened to me? Hey I could cry like he did, but now I have to go back and, you know, fight for what I have the right to fight for. I believe it was a clash of heads and everyone will be able to see it on the tape.
BC: In the back of your mind, do you think Holmes threat of legal action swayed the commission?
BM: Oh yeah, without a doubt. I believe they just didn’t want to deal with that, but now it’s going to be even tenfold. I am not going to sit back and be walked over. This could cost me a title eliminator or a title shot. If I have to go recover my damages or whatever, I am going to do it. I think I am entitled, I just don’t like the way it was handled. I should have been present at this meeting and had a representative with me. I think it was a railroad job when they make a decision and you can’t even defend yourself. You rarely see fights overturned in boxing, I mean one in a hundred. The Timothy Bradley-Nate Campbell fight was clearly a clash of heads, it was overturned which was right. On the tape of my fight, there is no conclusive evidence that he hit me with a left hook to cause the cut. So these guys (PA. State Athletic Commissioners) have a lot of explaining to do and when we get in front of a jury of 12 people and the referee is on the stand, I won’t be the one looking like an idiot!
BC: What do you want to say to all of the Brian “The Beast “ Minto fans and all of the readers of Convicted Artist Magazine, as they learn about this decision?
BM: Well, you know it’s boxing and you expect the unexpected, especially in this sport. I’m not going to dwell on it, I’ll move on and whatever comes my way next, well, we’ll see. I am going to appeal this decision and fight it. I am not going to lay down for these people and I am going to go get what’s mine. Obviously I believe I am the champ and that belt should not be taken away from me.
BC: Thank you for taking time out to speak with us today Brian. I know you are very frustrated at this point, for good reason and I thank you for you time.
BM: Alright man, I’ll be talking to you.
For more on the overturning of this fight, listen to Bob Carroll, Butch and "THE Big Dog" Benny Henderson Jr. every Wednesday night on Fightin' Words Radio Show from 8-9pm EST. To listen live via the internet, go to http://1490wwpr.com and look for the "listen here" tab.
