Dwight Muhammad Qawi, a Hall of Fame boxer and world champion in both the light heavyweight and cruiserweight classes, died on Friday, July 25, after battling dementia for five years. He was 72. Qawi, born Dwight Braxton, grew up in Camden, New Jersey. From 20 to 25, Qawi spent five years at East Jersey State Prison, formerly Rahway State, for armed robbery. It was there that Qawi discovered his love of boxing, thanks to the prison’s robust boxing program. When Qawi was released, he immediately entered the ring and converted to Islam. Standing just under 5-foot-7, Qawi took the title of World Boxing Council light heavyweight champion from Matthew Saad Muhammad in 1981. Sports Illustrated interviewed Qawi in his hotel room just before the fight. “People never gave me a chance for anything,” Qawi told the magazine. “They forgot that I had been fighting all my life, in the street, because I loved it. And in prison, just to survive, to get respect.” Qawi earned the nickname the “Camden Buzzsaw,” and retired in 1998 with a 41-11-1 record and 25 knockouts. After his retirement, he worked as a trainer and at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.
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