Gwinnett Daily Post

Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Ray Edwards is eager to advance his heavyweight boxing career and says he is ready to "smash" either of the world champion Ukrainian brothers, Vitali or Wladimir Klitschko.

But first Edwards, who has a 3-0 record, will need to overcome his most recent victory, which is giving boxing and him a black eye.

After reviewing videos of a Feb. 9 fight at the Red River Fairgrounds in West Fargo, N.D., state boxing commissioner Al Jaeger announced he suspended Nicholas "Turbo Tax" Capes indefinitely.

Capes, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, was a last-second replacement. But he didn't last a minute in the fight. He hit the deck 13 seconds into the first round after Edwards missed with a right upper cut. Videos of the fight show no evidence of Edwards ever landing a punch. And there was no confusing Nicholas Capes with Nicholas Cage on a dive that was not even well performed.

Boxing promoter Cory Rapacz, who put together the last-second matchup, said just before the fight was scheduled to start the original opponent dropped out. Rapacz said Capes, who is only 5 feet 9 compared with the 6-4, 270-pound Edwards (football roster size), seemed eager and "we all expected him to try."

Edwards began his boxing career on May 20, 2011, by defeating T.J. Gibson in a four-round unanimous decision at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minn. On Jan. 25 of this year, Edwards returned to the Grand Casino and knocked out Cory "Spare Tire" Briggs 39 seconds into the first round. Briggs is reported to be in the 600-pound neighborhood.

Edwards, a fourth-round draft pick by the Vikings in 2006, moved to the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent last July, but the team released him in November. He had 30 sacks in the NFL, but none of them easier than the KO he had against Capes.