Ravens safety Zbikowski escapes the NFL lockout to win second pro fight

LAS VEGAS // Tommy Zbikowski, the Baltimore Ravens safety, did not let the NFL lockout stop him from making a nice payday — and delivering some hard hits.

Fighting for the second time as a pro, Zbikowski barely broke a sweat in stopping Richard Bryant at 1:45 of the first-round of a scheduled four-round fight on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Ricardo Mayorga WBA super-welterweight title fight.

Zbikowski, who last fought while still attending Notre Dame, earned US$50,000 (Dh183,650). He dropped Bryant with a left-hook to the body and referee Russell Mora waved the fight to a close after Bryant got up at the count of seven.

"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."

Zbikowski already has plans to fight on March 26 in Atlantic City.

"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."