Dwight Muhammad Qawi, a boxer who was inducted into the Hall of Fame, has reportedly passed away. He was seventy-two.
While incarcerated for an armed robbery, Qawi took up boxing, which led to an intriguing route to stardom.
According to the Associated Press, he participated in the boxing program at Rahway State Prison in New Jersey before going pro at the age of 25, shortly after his release.
According to his sister Wanda King, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, whose real name was Dwight Braxton, passed away this past Friday. For the last five years, he had been fighting dementia.
King told BoxingScene that he was a fantastic Pop-Pop to his grandchildren and a great father. He fought his dementia like he was battling in the ring, and he had a golden heart.
Qawi grew up in Camden, New Jersey, after being born in Baltimore.
After going pro, he won the WBC light heavyweight title and the WBA cruiserweight title in the 1980s, making him a two-weight world champion.
According to the AP, he converted to Islam in 1982 and changed his name from Dwight Braxton to Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Prior to his retirement from boxing in 1998 at the age of 46, Qawi competed as a heavyweight as well.
He was elected into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004 after finishing his career with a 41-11-1 record. In his career, he recorded 25 knockouts.
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