Penn Theater shows ‘The Beast: The Final Fight,’ documentary for local boxer
Friends and family of boxer Brian ‘The Beast’ Minto gathered at the Penn Theater Friday night, Jan. 24, to watch the documentary centered on Minto’s story.
Minto is a retired professional boxer from Butler who carried a 42-11 record with 29 knockouts across his career. His career spanned from 2002 to 2016 and saw fights in Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and New Zealand.
DeQwan Young, the documentary’s director, has been working “on and off” on the documentary since Minto’s retirement in 2016. Young, a former football player, met Minto while working out at a gym in Cranberry Township and said he is honored to document him.
“I’m just glad that people are willing to come and see what me and Brian created together,” Young said.
Young reworked the project after the release of a digital version on YouTube in December 2023. The current iteration premiered in August 2024 at Minto’s induction into Butler Football Hometown Heroes.
“I was a nervous wreck about showing this in August,” Young said. “I had a lot of good support since, but I’m still nervous this time.”
The event was hosted at 7 p.m. Friday night. The public filled the rows while VIP tabling was arranged near the back. A cash bar and hors d’oeuvres were available to guests in the hour leading up to the show.
“It’s an amazing event for an amazing community, and a chance to recognize one of Butler’s standouts,” Jaloyn Fockler, Penn Theater’s executive director, said.
Minto spent the cocktail hour greeting guests, talking with friends and checking on his family. Minto said the experience was “kind of surreal” and expressed pride about what he had helped create.
“It isn’t about me. It’s about the message I have to tell,” Minto said.
