The last time Duluth boxer Andy Kolle fought on TV, former world champ Paul Williams nearly detached his jaw from the rest of his face in a 2008 fight that lasted 97 seconds. Kolle is hoping to move past that loss and earn another opportunity to compete on a national stage.

It's a dream shared by several Minnesota fighters trying to punch their way into a big-money fight. Kolle (23-2, 17 knockouts) will put his Minnesota middleweight belt on the line against St. Paul fighter Caleb Truax (17-0-1, 10 KOs) Friday night at the St. Paul Armory.

The winner could entice sponsors and millionaire promoters with the power to turn them into stars -- or at least put them in the same ring with one. Or, at the very least, allow them to give up their part-time jobs and train full time.

Truax and Kolle view their matchup as their last local stop before they go after bigger -- and more lucrative -- fights outside of the state.

"Obviously, we want to take this thing to the next level," Kolle said about his upcoming bout. "It's tough when you don't have a national promoter behind you."

Kolle bartends on the weekends to make extra cash. Truax, a former standout football player at Osseo High School, works at a liquor store.

Truax said he hopes a victory Friday will lead to more money and a full-time boxing career.

"It's a huge fight. I guess it establishes who's the best middleweight in Minnesota," Truax said. "It's kind of like a launching stage for national fights."

They face a tough task.

Minnesota has produced only a smattering of major contenders since local fighters Scott LeDoux and Duane Bobick climbed the heavyweight ranks in the 1970s.

"Minnesota, at one time, was a mecca for boxing," said Tony Grygelko, the promoter of the Friday fight card.

But the national and local appetite for the sport has dropped since then. And boxing now competes with the UFC for TV dollars and viewers. So only a few boxing hotbeds -- New York City, Las Vegas and California -- have survived the sport's recent decline.

"Scouts see you on the East Coast, there's bigger media [in boxing] there," undefeated St. Paul fighter Cerresso Fort said.

A Minnesota fighter's rare opportunity to prove himself in one of those markets usually involves a lot of risk and great odds.

St. Paul's Jason Litzau was a 13-to-1 underdog entering his November matchup against lightweight contender Celestino Caballero at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, a fight that was televised on HBO. But Litzau achieved a split-decision victory over Caballero.

"They say the Midwest is an easy circuit," Litzau said about the national perception of the state's fighters.

The recent results in major fights featuring local fighters have fueled that notion in boxing circles.

Heavyweight contender Chris Arreola knocked out Coon Rapids' Joey Abell in the first round of a January bout that aired on ESPN2. Wilton Hilario, a talented local lightweight, has lost his past two fights, both outside of the state.

After winning the IBF light flyweight title in 2005, St. Paul's Will Grigsby suffered back-to-back losses to Ulises Solis in 2006 and '07 and hasn't fought since. St. Paul's Troy Lowry got TKOed by middleweight contender Andy Lee in October.

Both Kolle and Truax hope to reverse the state's fortunes.

"I want to prove I'm the best middleweight," Truax said about the Friday matchup for in-state bragging rights.

Kolle claims that won't happen.

"I feel like it's my time," he said.