By Mitch Abramson
In the 10th round Minto, trailing on all scorecards, caught Maddalone off balance with a picture-perfect left hook that ended the fight 32 seconds into the final round. No site has been designated for the rematch as of yet, but according to Tommy Yankello, Minto's trainer, the rematch may end up at the Grande Ballroom at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in Chester, W. Va., where Minto has fought four times and has a considerable fan base.Mountaineer CEO Ted Arneault anticipates discussions with DeGuardia to commence this week. Minto, who is not signed with a promoter and is relying on Greg Nixon of World Class Promotions to negotiate on his behalf, is still bristling over the scoring that had him trailing on all three score cards heading into the final round, one of which had Maddalone winning every round but one. Maddalone, in the gym and ready to begin sparring next week, is ready to travel anywhere to make the fight happen.”I don't care where it ends up, just as long as it comes off,” he said. “I'll go to his backyard. Wherever I have to go, I'll go. All I can think about is fighting Minto again. There's no way he can make more money fighting anybody else, so I feel pretty good that the fight will happen. The reaction by the fans was great. They came up to me and were talking to me like I won the fight. I want to go right to the rematch. I'm thinking about it too much.”After making just $2,500 for the first bout, Maddalone (21-2, 15 KO's) said he would give Minto half his purse just to secure a rematch. Maddalone did have an incentive clause written into his contract that guaranteed him an extra $5,000 if he could knock Minto out during the fight. He had him down in the first round but couldn't finish him.”I came out in that first round thinking about that money,” Maddalone laughed. “I'm in that first round, and all I'm thinking about is getting him out of there.”Minto (18-0, 11 KO's), perhaps a little excited from the win, said he wouldn't fight Maddalone unless he could make six figures, quite an increase from the $5,500 he made for the first fight. Minto, hoping to retool and improve his defense, is in Florida working with top-flight trainer, Buddy McGirt, best known for his work reinventing WBC Super Lightweight champion Arturo Gatti. Citing a relationship with Gatti's manager, Pat Lynch, Minto is hoping to add McGirt to his corner in the future. This week is a trial period to see if both sides can work out an agreement.”I'll only fight him again if the money is right,” Minto said. “I'm not going to fight him on ESPN again, not for the money they pay. For the rematch, I heard they're talking about it being on “Showbox” or HBO's “Boxing After Dark.” I'm down here working with Buddy. It's been awesome being around all these world-class fighters. We're just trying things out so far. I'm still a young fighter. I'm still learning, trying to get better.”Harold Lederman, HBO's unofficial judge, doesn't pull the strings in terms of what fights the network buys, but he loved the adrenaline rush of the first fight and would love to see HBO pick up the rematch.”It was one of the most exciting fights I've seen in ages,” Lederman said. “You couldn't leave your chair to go get some popcorn because any second this fight was over. I would love to get a great fight like that on HBO. Unfortunately, we're limited to a certain number of dates. We're obligated to our guys under contract like Roy Jones and Floyd Mayweather Jr., and it doesn't leave you time to develop new fighters. We're in a bad position in that respect because we're always chasing down the big names. But if it was up to me, I would buy the fight for HBO in a heartbeat.”According to Lederman, HBO has no dates in August because of the Olympics, only one time slot in October for Felix Trinidad against Ricardo Mayorga because of the World Series, and in November and December, a handful of slots to satisfy fighters such as Vitali Klitschko, Jermain Taylor and possibly a Roy Jones-Antonio Tarver rematch.”You have to give Vinny a lot of credit, though,” he said. “He went from being an unknown heavyweight fighting at Yonkers Raceway to have this great fight on national television. Even though he lost, he left with a lot of fans.”Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
