Hall of Fame Boxer Dwight Muhammad Qawi Dies at 72

The sport of boxing has lost another member of its prestigious fraternity as it was confirmed on Friday night, July 25th, that former two-weight world champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi died at the age of 72.

The Hall of Fame boxer was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but he grew up in Camden, New Jersey. Qawi, then known as Dwight Braxton, participated in criminal activities as a young man, and he paid the price for his lifestyle choice when he was convicted of armed robbery.

During his time at Rahway State Prison, the future Hall of Famer joined the boxing program. At that particular time, he had no idea that an activity that was put in place to keep him occupied during his five-year stint in prison would turn out to become a lucrative career choice.

Dwight Braxton was released from prison in 1978.

On April 19, 1978, at the age of 25, Braxton made his pro boxing debut as he and Leonard Langley fought to a draw. Braxton had a new lease and a new outlook on life.

In addition to a new career, Braxton converted to Islam and changed his name to Dwight Muhammad Qawi. In his fourth year as a pro, Qawi defeated Matthew Saad Muhammad by way of 10th-round TKO and won the WBC light heavyweight world title.

Qawi would go on to make three successful title defenses. Back in March 1983, Qawi’s reign as world champion ended when he lost a grueling 15-round battle against Michael Spinks.

The former champion bounced back and went on a four-fight win streak. On July 27, 1985, Dwight Muhammad Qawi became a two-weight world champion when he stopped Piet Crous in the eleventh round and won the WBA cruiserweight world title.

Back in March 1983, Qawi lost his light heavyweight title to Michael Spinks, and three years later, he was defending his cruiserweight title against his brother Leon Spinks. This time around, things worked in Qawi’s favor as he beat Leon Spinks via 6th-round TKO.

Qawi’s time as the WBA cruiserweight champion ended in July 1986 when he lost to Evander Holyfield via split-decision. A year later, Qawi got his rematch against Holyfield and was stopped in the fourth round.

Qawi would suffer back-to-back knockout losses as he moved up to heavyweight and was knocked out by George Foreman in the 7th round. Qawi ended his career by winning 13 of his last 18 fights.

At the age of 46, Dwight Muhammad Qawi officially retired from boxing in 1999 with a record of (41-11-1, 25 KOs). Known as ‘The Camden Buzzsaw,’ the two-weight world champion was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.

Qawi’s sister, Wanda King, was the family member who confirmed his death. She also made the following statement about Qawi while addressing the media.

“He was a great father, a great Pop-Pop to his grandchildren. He had a heart of gold, and he fought his dementia illness just like he was fighting in the ring.”