A onetime Minnesota Vikings standout on defense during some of the team's better seasons continues pursing his second athletic career with a boxing match this week in the Twin Cities at a well-known music venue.

Heavyweight Ray Edwards, who played defensive end from 2006 through 2011, puts his 10-0-1 record on the line Friday at the top of the fight card at the Cabooze in Minneapolis.

The 6-foot-5 Edwards' opponent in the bout scheduled for four rounds is Steve Tyner, a 32-year-old from Akron, Ohio. The 5-foot-11 lefty's record is 3-14-3.

This bout is part of the Combat Sport Series, which includes professional boxing and kickboxing. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/Cabooze-Edwards.

Edwards' best seasons with the Vikings came in 2009 and 2010, when he recorded a combined 16.5 sacks in those seasons, half of his career total.

Now 31, Edwards retired after two seasons with Atlanta, having made his debut as a boxer while still with the Falcons in 2011.

Ray Edwards began his boxing career in 2011 by defeating T.J. Gibson at Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minn.

Paul Walsh