Ravens safety Tommy Zbikowski is now 2-0 in his professional boxing career after beating Richard Bryant with a first-round knockout in Las Vegas Saturday evening. Bryant was belted squarely beneath the ribcage (as you can see in the picture above) and was knocked out for the count 1:45 into the fight. The first-round victory marked Zbikowski’s second first-round knockout of his career, but it didn’t come without questions.
First off, Zbikowski took way too many shots in the fight. He was hit several times by a below average opponent who’s now 1-3 — that shouldn’t happen against inferior competition and it makes me think Zbikowski could use a lot more training on his defense. Secondly, there was a delayed reaction from Bryant after the body shot raising questions about the legitimacy of the knockdown.
I don’t dispute that Zbikowski hurt Bryant badly with the shot straight to the chest, but I wonder how Bryant could have been damaged enough to be knocked out, yet well enough to throw two more punches after absorbing the blow. Does that make much sense to you? Maybe it was just a delayed reaction to a massive strike, but it leaves me with a few questions. Either way, Zbikowski moves to 2-0 while Bryant falls to 1-3. One can’t help but figure Bob Arum will ride the Zbikowski train until the NFL’s labor issues are solved. Because of his football roots, he’ll be a draw regardless of the low quality of opponent he faces.
