Fighting Irish Football Standout Tom Zbikowski Will Become a Boxing Star

Last night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Baltimore Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski destroyed a bum named Richard Bryant in 105 seconds to earn his second professional win via TKO.

Zbikowski (2-0, 2 KOs), a two-time third-team AP All American at Notre Dame, was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2008 draft. He floored Bryant (1-2) with a solid left hook to the body.

Despite getting up at the count of seven, referee Russell Mora compassionately halted the bout to prevent Bryant from withstanding additional punishment.

"I was looking to get a little more work but, you take a win any way you can get it," said Zbikowski, 25, who pocketed $50,000 without breaking a sweat. "I know I hurt him with the hook, you could feel the air come out."

“Tommy Z,” who compiled a 75-15 record as an amateur pugilist and advanced to the finals of the Chicago Golden Gloves, knocked out another slouch named Robert Bell a mere 49 seconds into his debut as a prizefighter at Madison Square Garden in June 2006.

Zbikowski has now triumphed in two bouts in less than three total minutes in the squared circle.

As expected, NFL owners officially declared a player lockout at midnight on Friday. Prior to the work stoppage, Baltimore tendered Zbikowski as a restricted free agent. Therefore, the former Irish standout is not contractually prohibited from boxing.

Zbikowski confidently stated he is not concerned about being injured in battle.

"Other than getting knocked out, there's not much of a problem that can happen in there," Zbikowski said. "If you can make it through four years of college football and three years of the NFL without any major injuries, you should be all right."

“Tommy Z” weighed 214 pounds and fought as a heavyweight when he overwhelmed the underwhelming Bell nearly five years ago in “The Big Apple.”

However, Zbikowski battered Bryant weighing 193 pounds as a cruiserweight yesterday evening.

The Illinois native is tentatively slated to box again in two weeks on March 26 in Atlantic City, N.J.

"As long as he is available to fight, we plan to keep him very busy, whether it's once a month, every two or three weeks," said promoter Bob Arum, a corruptible weasel who acknowledged during a 2000 federal trial that he bribed the International Boxing Federation (IBF) to attain a higher ranking for one of his scrappers.

"Our matchmakers feel he can compete at the top level in boxing as a cruiserweight, and we're going to keep him busy.”

Zbikowski stated he is onboard with Arum’s high-intensity workload.

"I wanted to get the ring rust off in this fight," he said. "Right now this isn't a second career for me. It's a first career."

If pugilism is now Zbikowski’s “first career,” cruiserweights around the world need to seriously take notice.