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Dwight Muhammad Qawi
 
 
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Dwight Muhammad Qawi (born January 5, 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
,U.S.
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a former world boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
 champion in the light heavyweight
Light heavyweight

In boxing, the light heavyweight division is the boxing weight classes between cruiserweight and super middleweight. The light heavyweight class has produced some of boxing's greatest champions: Muhammad Ali , Tommy Loughran, Billy Conn, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr....
 and cruiserweight
Cruiserweight

Cruiserweight is a Boxing weight classes in boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Before the advent of the current cruiserweight class, "light heavyweight" and "cruiserweight" were sometimes used interchangeably in Great Britain....
 divisions. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame

The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York....
 in 2004.

, then known as Dwight Braxton, was born in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
, but grew up in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey

The City of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey, New Jersey, in the United States. It is located just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania....
, where he got involved with crime at a young age. He was eventually convicted of armed robbery and spent more than four years at New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
's Rahway State Prison
Rahway State Prison

East Jersey State Prison, better known by its original name, Rahway State Prison, was established in 1896 as the first reformatory in New Jersey....
.

It was at Rahway that Braxton found his place in life.






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Dwight Muhammad Qawi (born January 5, 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
,U.S.
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a former world boxing
Boxing

Boxing is a combat sport where two participants, generally of similar human weight, fight each other with their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee and is typically engaged in during a series of one to three-minute intervals called rounds....
 champion in the light heavyweight
Light heavyweight

In boxing, the light heavyweight division is the boxing weight classes between cruiserweight and super middleweight. The light heavyweight class has produced some of boxing's greatest champions: Muhammad Ali , Tommy Loughran, Billy Conn, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr....
 and cruiserweight
Cruiserweight

Cruiserweight is a Boxing weight classes in boxing between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Before the advent of the current cruiserweight class, "light heavyweight" and "cruiserweight" were sometimes used interchangeably in Great Britain....
 divisions. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame

The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York....
 in 2004.

Background

Qawi, then known as Dwight Braxton, was born in Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
, but grew up in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey

The City of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey, New Jersey, in the United States. It is located just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania....
, where he got involved with crime at a young age. He was eventually convicted of armed robbery and spent more than four years at New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
's Rahway State Prison
Rahway State Prison

East Jersey State Prison, better known by its original name, Rahway State Prison, was established in 1896 as the first reformatory in New Jersey....
.

It was at Rahway that Braxton found his place in life. The prison had an extensive boxing program and one of its inmates, James Scott, was a light heavyweight title contender who fought several times inside the prison itself. Braxton took up the sport, and when he was released from prison in 1978, immediately became a professional boxer.

Professional career


He went 1-1-1 in his first three pro fights, but then reeled off 14 straight victories to move into the world rankings at light heavyweight. The last of those wins came on September 5, 1981, when Braxton returned to Rahway to fight Scott, with the winner promised a shot at Matthew Saad Muhammad
Matthew Saad Muhammad

Matthew Saad Muhammad is a former Boxing who was the world's light heavyweight champion.Saad Muhammad's mother died when he was 5 years old, and he and his elder brother were sent to live with an aunt....
's WBC world championship belt. Braxton won a unanimous 10-round decision.

On December 19 of the same year, Braxton faced Saad Muhammad in Atlantic City. The ex-convict was the underdog against Saad, one of the most popular fighters of his generation and a fellow Hall of Famer, but Braxton defeated him on a 10th-round technical knockout
Knockout

A knockout is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving strike ....
 and became a world champion for the first time. It was shortly after this that he announced his conversion to Islam
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
 and changed his name.

He defended the title three times in the next 15 months, knocking out Jerry Martin, Saad Muhammad a second time and Eddie Davis. On March 18, 1983, he lost a close but unanimous decision to WBA
World Boxing Association

The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level....
 champion Michael Spinks
Michael Spinks

Michael Spinks a native of St. Louis, Missouri, Missouri, is a former boxing who was champion in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight division....
 in a unification bout.

Qawi felt that making the division's 175-pound weight limit had drained him physically, and resolved to seek another world title in the newly created cruiserweight division. Freed of the need to fight to keep his weight down, Qawi reeled off another series of wins and claimed the WBA cruiserweight title on July 7, 1985, knocking out Piet Crous
Piet Crous

Petrus Arnoldus Crous was a South African professional boxer....
 in Crous' native South Africa
South Africa

The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
.

He won two more fights, including a victory over former world heavyweight titlist Leon Spinks
Leon Spinks

Leon Spinks is an USA former boxing. He had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and 3 draws as a professional, with 14 knockout wins. While still an amateur, he also became a member of the United States Marine Corps....
, before accepting a challenge from Olympian Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield is a professional boxing from the United States and a multiple world champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal"....
 on July 12, 1986. The fight, in Holyfield's hometown of Atlanta, went the full 15 rounds with Holyfield winning a split decision.

After the loss to Holyfield, Qawi fought off and on for the next 12 years, but never regained a world title. He rematched with Holyfield in 1987 for the WBA and IBF
International Boxing Federation

The International Boxing Federation, or IBF, is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and WBO....
 cruiserweight titles, but was stopped in the fourth round.

After a short stint in the heavyweight ranks, where in 1988 he lost to George Foreman
George Foreman

George Edward Foreman is an United States two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and entrepreneur.He is the oldest man ever to win a major heavyweight title when, at 45, he knocked out 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round....
 by knockout in seven rounds, being forced to quit from exhaustion, he tried to regain the cruiserweight title. On November 27, 1989, he dropped a split decision to Robert Daniels
Robert Daniels

Robert Daniels , is a professional boxing in the Cruiserweight division.Daniels, known as "Preacherman," turned pro in 1984 and in 1989 he captured the vacant World Boxing Association cruiserweight title by defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi....
 for Holyfield's vacated WBA title.

Qawi retired in 1999 at the age of 46, with a career record of 41 wins, 11 losses and one draw, with 25 wins by way of knockout. Currently, he works as a boxing trainer in New Jersey
New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
.

See also

  • The Brawl for it All
    The Brawl for it All

    The Brawl for it All was the name of the Boxing fight between Michael Spinks and Dwight Muhammad Qawi, fought on March 18, 1983.The fight had some historical significance, because it was to unify the world light heavyweight title, a feat that wouldn't be achieved again until more than 15 years later....