
Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski has had two professional boxing matches. He hasn’t yet been tested.
Zbikowski needed only a minute and 45 seconds to knock out a little-known opponent named Richard Bryant on Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, improving his pro boxing record to 2-0.
“I was looking to get a little more work but you take a win any way you can get it,” Zbikowski said. “I know I hurt him with the hook, you could feel the air come out.”
Bryant, whose record is 1-3, was a hand-picked opponent in a fight that was designed for Zbikowski to earn a victory. But give Zbikowski credit for doing what he was supposed to do and quickly dispatching of Bryant. (And give Bryant credit for lasting a full minute longer than Zbikowski says Chad Ochocinco would last in the ring with him.)
Zbikowski, a restricted free agent who is not currently under contract, has indicated that he’d like to box a few more times this offseason, especially if the NFL lockout gives him plenty of free time. Having made $50,000 on Saturday night, Zbikowski has, if nothing else, found a lucrative second job. But Zbikowski indicated afterward that he’s not viewing boxing that way.
“Right now this isn’t a second career for me,” he said. “It’s a first career.”