Baltimore Ravens Safety Tom Zbikowski Will Bludgeon His Opponent Saturday

Baltimore Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski will fight Richard Bryant in a four-round bout as a cruiserweight on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto vs. Ricardo Mayorga ticket Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Zbikowski a 25-year-old two-time third-team AP All American at Notre Dame, who was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2008 draft, will step into the ring for the second time as a professional.

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

"Right now, I'm enjoying every minute of being a fighter and being a boxer again," said Zbikowski. "I was a professional fighter before I was a professional football player."

Baltimore recently tendered Zbikowski as a restricted free agent.

Therefore, the former Irish standout is not contractually prohibited from entering the squared circle.

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."

Due to the impending NFL lockout over the collecting bargaining agreement, one must wonder if Zbikowski will continue to box.

"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.”

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

However, Zbikowski will fight Bryant below 200 pounds in the cruiserweight division this weekend.

Former Irish coach Charlie Weis once called his saftey of yesteryear “all day tough.”

In all likelihood, the owners and players will ultimately come to an agreement that will allow a 2011 season to occur.

Nevertheless, in the meantime, Zbikowski has all the tools to become a legitimate force as a cruiserweight with proper training.

“He’s solid,” said Mike McCarthy, 28, a native of Dorchester. “I was at his fight in New York. Well, I kind of was. I missed it when I went to buy a beer.”

This Raven is not a bearded woman who will further cement boxing as a joke.

Zbikowski is “all day tough” and current cruiserweights should be mortified that Arum plans “to keep him busy.”