Boxing: TruTV ‘Friday Night Knockout’ Series Returns on Sept. 11

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Cable network TruTV will debut its fall season of the “MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout” series on Sept. 11. The telecast, held in conjunction with promoter Top Rank and in association with HBO, will kick off Mexican Independence Day weekend with a card of intriguing matchups.

The show will be headlined by a 10-round featherweight showdown between Oscar Valdez and Chris Avalos. The co-featured attraction will be a super middleweight affair between Jesse Hart and Aaron Pryor Jr.

Valdez (16-0, 14 KOs) has knocked out all but two of his opponents coming into his bout with Avalos. After tearing through the regional opposition throughout the Southwest U.S., the Mexico native is ready to take the next step up the ladder.

Avalos (26-3, 19 KOs) in February fought for the IBF super bantamweight title but was knocked out by Carl Frampton. It was the only time the Californian has been stopped in his career and he is looking to keep his comeback alive. He last fight on Aug. 1 saw Avalos score an eight-round unanimous decision over Rey Perez.

Philadelphia’s Hart will put his unbeaten ledger and regional title on the line against Pryor. Hart (17-0, 14 KOs), the son of Philly boxing legend Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, has looked superb thus far in his career. He expects to hand Pryor (19-8-1, 12 KOs), the son of International Boxing Hall of Famer Aaron Pryor, another loss.