Tonight STV will broadcast a Scottish professional boxing event in Glasgow featuring two of our most hotly-tipped young prospects.

Local hero Joe Ham, from the Gorbals, and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Charlie Flynn, better known as 'The Mailman', will showcase their skills at the Glasgow City Hotel.

The last time a national broadcaster showed a professional boxing show was over a decade ago, so this is a pretty big deal.

STV Fight Night will be broadcast on STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh. It will be the biggest night of their professional careers for both Joe and Charlie.

It's hard enough stepping into the ring in front of hundreds of people, never mind having the expectations of the nation on your shoulders as they watch you on live television.

So how would I know, I hear you ask? Well, in my dark and distant past as a hardened amateur scrapper, I shared a ring with Joe.

It was my first ever senior championships - the Western District final at the Marriot Hotel in Glasgow in 2010 - and it was me against Joe to battle it out in the bantamweight division.

I was very confident before the fight. Nervous, but confident. There were around 500 spectators there - the biggest crowd I'd fought in front of and they were making some serious noise.

As I said, I was very confident. I actually remember thinking not long before the fight "I bloody can't wait for a McDonald's after this".

After warming up and getting "into the zone" mentally, the introduction came, followed by the entry music.

I stepped into the ring and raised my arms. I was focussed. I knew the crowd were loud but I couldn't hear much. It was almost a white noise - my trainer and dad the only voices I could hear.

The bell went for round one and out I went. I was winning the fight, everything was going to plan. "Brilliant", I thought to myself.

Unfortunately my dominance only lasted for about ten seconds - then Joe, who was a couple of years older than me, started to turn it up.

This might sound crazy, but those who have boxed competitively before will know what I mean; I was getting hit a lot and he was hitting me hard, but it wasn't painful.

The best way to describe it is like getting hit with a pillow - adrenaline is a great painkiller.

He was starting to knock me around with ease, I'd go so far as to say rag-dolling me, so I decided to go down and take a knee to compose myself for a few seconds, take the count and get back up.

Then something strange happened. He hit me, and it did not feel like it hurt. My head was clear, I felt fine, but my legs just decided: "That's us done for the night lads, we're offski."

I, in turn, did a bit of a funny dance and went down again. My mind was still clear, I wasn't dazed, but my legs had other ideas - they were already in McDonald's chowing into that Big Mac I was thinking about earlier. I got back up and the bell went for the end of the round.

We came out for the second round and I knew I was up against it so I went for it. That was a bad move. I walked into a couple of other hard punches and the referee stepped in to stop it.

It was the first time ever I had been stopped in almost 40 amateur bouts. After that I decided to pack in punching people for fun and make a living writing. But I won't forget that night, boxing is a special sport.

Despite the loss, it was a big night for me. I loved the atmosphere, the nerves, the suspense, the lights and even the fight. It wasn't televised so it was only reserved for those who bought a ticket.

Tonight you will be able to take it all in from home and watch Charlie and Joe in one of the biggest nights for Scottish boxing in a while.

Not only do will they be performing in front of hundreds of supporters, they will be able to showcase their skills on live television in front of thousands more.

STV Fight Night will be broadcast on STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh at 10pm on Friday March 18.

Watch your local channel on Freeview 23, Virgin 159, Sky 117 or watch from anywhere in the UK on the STV Player