Baltimore Ravens' safety Tom Zbikowski is trying to compete in as many professional boxing matches as possible, this, with the NFL owners and players association locked in talks to sign a new collective bargaining agreement and the Ravens' season on hold.
A former amateur boxer who turned pro in 2007, the 26-year-old Zbikowski (3-0, two knockouts) returned to the ring with a March 12, first-round stoppage of Richard Bryant in Las Vegas, and then, he followed that up, 14 days later, with Atlantic City's tougher-than-expected, unanimous decision over Caleb Grummett on March 26.
Promoted by Las Vegas-based Top Rank Promotions, Zbikowski's upcoming schedule is comprised of fighting once each over the next three months on April 23 at the WinStar Casino against hometowner, Blake Warner (1-2, one KO) in Thackerville, Oklahoma, on May 21 at the Morongo Casino Resort and Spa in Cabazon, Calif., and again on June 4 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The opponents for the last two fights of Zbikowski, who is campaigning as a heavyweight, still are to be determined.
The 6-foot-tall Zbikowski, whose bout with Grummet represented his first under legendary trainer Emanuel "Manny" Steward, still was a junior defensive back at Notre in June of 2006 when he debuted as a professional with a 49-second knockout of Robert Bell at New York's Madison Square Garden.
After graduating in 2007, Zbikowsk, who was 75-15 as an amateur boxer, was drafted in the third round and 86th overall by the Ravens in 2008, played sparingly as a special teams player, and then he overcame back and foot injuries last season to start in six games.
Zbikowski spoke to Patch.com concerning his dual roles in football and boxing and his desire to bring one of his fights to Baltimore.
Patch.com: For the fans in general, can you characterize your contract situation with the Baltimore Ravens and how your status with the team plays into your boxing career?
TZ: Obviously, I have a lot of respect for the Baltimore Ravens and the entire organization. [General manager and executive vice president] Ozzie Newsome, [owner] Steve Bisciotti, coach John Harbaugh, all of them.
They're the ones who drafted me. They took a chance on me. They're the ones who gave me a chance to play in the NFL. Obviously, I don't want to disrespect them in any way.
But they also know that I have a passion for boxing, and that I've been a fighter for my whole entire life. I had a three-year contract, and right now, I'm a restricted free agent.
And everything that's going on with the lockout and de-certifying and all of that stuff, I really had no legal obligations to anyone so there wasn't much that they can do.
And just seeing [wide receiver] Derrick Mason and [linebacker] Ray Lewis on ESPN the last couple of days, and [safety] Ed Reed coming out to my fights, I've got nothing but support from the guys in Baltimore.
They've seen me every day in the locker room, so they know how much I love boxing. They talk about it with me every day, and I had a lot of those guys, just working them out learning how to box.
Patch.com: So how does the lockout play into your thinking, having three fights scheduled over as many consecutive months?
TZ: It's tough, you know? If you understand both sports, then you know how hard it is to do just one of them, let alone both of them. So there's a fine line.
As much as I love boxing and just throwing myself back into it, I can't just let myself get away from all of the football training. You know, I'm continuing my boxing career. But that's something that I could do.
But I've played football and I still have to keep myself prepared to play football. So these four-round fights for me are almost perfect, because I'm not letting myself get to the six, to the eight, to the 10 or 12 rounders.
So it's not going to be hindering me from playing football and from having that explosive burst and that tempo that you have to have and that you need to play in football.
Patch.com: When the fall starts, do you expect to be in a Ravens' uniform?
TZ: Yeah, I do. I'll be ready to go. And I'll be in the best shape and probably ready to have the best football season that I've ever had.
Patch.com: How many fights do you hope to get in before the football season begins?
TZ: I don't know yet. I know that after June 4, I'm not exactly sure how much I will be able to get in, because, you know, I'm not trying to teeter along the lines of not being able to get ready to play football.
But I can't look that far ahead. I've got to take care of this fight on April 23 before I can look beyond. I have to go out to Los Angeles for the June 4 one.
That's on the under card of the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-- Sebastian Zbik title fight under card. I'm just taking these fights and that will give me at least five fights in my pro career.
That's at least four fights over this little off season, which is a pretty big accomplishment for being off for so long and to be able to perform.
Patch.com: What are your thoughts and what is your understanding of what may be the potential for you to stage a fight in Baltimore or near your home town in Chicago, ?
TZ: Chicago? I'd love to. But the fans in Baltimore have been unbelievable. And I think that being a Raven, I've gotten nothing but a welcoming and support from all of Baltimore. So I would love to fight in either one of those places. I would love to fight in both of them. I think that there would be a great turnout for either one of them.
But I know that Baltimore is a fighting town, and Chicago has got sports year-round. Baltimore has got the Orioles and the Ravens and that's about it. So I would love to give the city some entertainment, and I know that the crowd turnout would be unbelievable.