Notre Dame Great & Former NFL Player Tommy Zbikowski Returns to Boxing – Breaking News

Hitz Boxing returns to The Belvedere this Friday, as Notre Dame great Tommy Zbikowski makes his long-awaited ring return in his hometown of Chicago. A fighter inside the ring, and a Chicago Firefighter outside the ring, the former NFLer fights for more than money or fame on Friday, as he raises money for fallen Chicago Firefighter Daniel Capuano, who was killed in the line of duty in a Chicago warehouse fire in December. A portion of the evening’s profits will be donated to Capuano’s family.

Zbikowski, a legend of Notre Dame football lore, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. His NFL career would span five years and three teams, culminating with a brief stint with the Chicago Bears before announcing his retirement in 2013. It was in 2011, during the NFL lockout, when Zbikowski stepped into the ring to resume a boxing career begun under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden in 2006. He was forced to put boxing on hold again when the lockout ended that July, but finally returns to the ring Friday, as he looks to remain undefeated in his fifth professional fight.

In the co-feature, undefeated, local Chicago welterweight Nick Ramirez returns in his hometown in search of his 9th straight win. Ramirez is fighting in his first bout of the year after winning a wide unanimous decision over Agustin Cicero in November. Rounding out the card, local flyweight Javier Rivera returns versus Phoenix’s Luis Guerrero, undefeated, fan-favorite heavyweight Nick Mazurek returns, and Giovanni Mioletti makes his professional debut.

Doors to The Belvedere Elk Grove open at 6:00 this Friday, April 22nd, and first bell is at 7:00. Tickets are priced $110 and $50, and are available at HitzBoxing.com.