Former prisoner turned two-division world champion boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame, passed away. His age was 72.
According to his sister Wanda King, Qawi passed away on Friday after a five-year fight with dementia, according to AP.
Qawi, who was born Dwight Braxton in Baltimore, Maryland, on January 5, 1953, began boxing while incarcerated at Rahway State Prison for armed robbery. According to his International Boxing Hall of Fame biography, he started training at Joe Frazier’s Gym in Philadelphia after being released in March 1978, and the following month, at the age of 25, he became a professional boxer.
Following his conversion to Islam, Braxton formally changed his name to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1982.
Highlights of Qawi’s career include his 16th career fight victory against former light heavyweight champion Mike Rossman and his victory over Hall of Famer Matthew Saad Muhammad in December 1981 by TKO in the 10th round. In July 1985, he also won the WBA cruiserweight title by defeating Piet Crous.
In July 1986, boxing great Evander Holyfield defeated Qawi in a 15-round split decision, costing him the cruiserweight title. In December 1987, he also lost a rematch for the title against Holyfield.
According to the Boxing HOF, the fearsome Qawi was noted for his aggressive, crouching ring style. He retired at the age of 46 in 1998 with a 41-11-1 record, which included 25 knockouts. Later in his career, he competed as a heavyweight and lost to George Foreman in March 1988 after seven rounds.
According to AP, after retiring from boxing, Qawi worked as a youth advocate, drug and alcohol counselor, and boxing trainer.
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