Boxing Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi Dies at 72 After 5 Years with Dementia

Boxing legend Dwight Muhammad Qawi has died at the age of 72.

Per the Associated Press, Qawi's sister, Wanda King, announced her brother died on Friday after being diagnosed with dementia five years ago.

Qawi had his first professional fight in 1978 at the age of 25 after taking up the sport while serving a prison sentence for armed robbery at Rahway State Prison in New Jersey.

The peak of Qawi's in-ring career came on Dec. 19, 1981, when he challenged Matthew Saad Muhammad for the WBC and The Ring light heavyweight titles.

Muhammad, a heavy favorite entering the fight, had won 18 consecutive matches (15 via stoppage) and successfully retained his title eight times going into the bout.

Qawi stunned the champion with a 10th-round TKO to become champion. The two had a rematch in August 1982, which Qawi also won via TKO in the sixth round to retain the title.

The Maryland native held the light heavyweight crown for 15 months before losing to Michael Spinks for the undisputed championship in a bout billed as "The Brawl for it All" in Atlantic City.

Qawi would later go on to challenge legends like Evander Holyfield and George Foreman in his storied career. He officially retired at the age of 46 in 1999 with a 41-11-1 record in 53 fights.

After his boxing career came to an end, Qawi continued working as a drug and alcohol counselor at a recovery center in New Jersey. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.