Tonight at 9:00 pm EDT on ESPN2, Friday Night Fights returns with a junior middleweight contender in the main event, and a heavyweight debut of some interest, too, as Willie Nelson headlines against Luis Grajeda, and China's Zhang Zhilei turns pro.
Nelson (22-1-1, 13 KO) has stepped up his game since a 2011 loss on ShoBox to Vincent Arroyo, going 6-0 (3 KO) in that time and getting his name into the mix a bit at 154 pounds. Grajeda (17-2-2, 13 KO) is 0-1-1 in his last two fights. In 2010, he lost to Jermell Charlo, though in 2012, he did knock out Hector Camacho Jr, for whatever that's worth.
Zhilei stands 6'6" and won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, but lost in the quarterfinals in 2012 to eventual gold medalist Anthony Joshua. He'll be facing Curtis Lee Tate (7-4, 6 KO), a club fighter out of Oakland...Tennessee.
Also in action tonight will be 18-year-old Hungarian prospect Norbert Nemesapati (14-0, 13 KO), a knockout puncher in the super middleweight division. Nemesapati turned pro in 2012 at the age of 16, and won't be 19 until later this month. His opponent tonight will be 29-year-old American Jason Escalera (14-2, 12 KO).
Also starting tonight at 9:00 pm EDT is an Iron Mike Productions show on FOX Sports 1, featuring 28-year-old welterweight prospect Sammy Vasquez Jr (15-0, 11 KO) in the main event against James Stevenson (21-0, 14 KO) in a battle of unbeaten-but-unproven fighters. The Pittsburgh card will also feature Monty Meza Clay (35-3, 21 KO) taking on Alan Herrera (32-6, 21 KO) in a lightweight bout, and another young phenom, 18-year-old American Erickson Lubin (6-0, 5 KO), who will face Francisco Javier Reza (12-9, 9 KO).