Some fighters, when at their finest, we are able to watch all of them day lengthy. One such superior fighter, one who had an excellent array of expertise and attributes to look at and allow us to let sink in as he did his stuff – a refined protection, a ferocious, continuous punch output, snarling aggression, a rock of a chin, the flexibility to make it his struggle – is Dwight Muhammad Qawi.
Born on this present day in 1953 (glad 72nd, champ!), as Dwight Braxton, the long run two-weight king of the ring, would additionally get pleasure from two names: Dwight Muhammad Qawi and “The Camden Buzzsaw.” The primary took place attributable to Dwight’s newfound Muslim faith; the second got here from a boxing author who positive did hand out a most apt nickname after having seen Qawi struggle, his seemingly limitless variety of thrown punches sufficient to impress the hell out of anybody.
Qawi, famously, had no beginner profession. As a substitute, having discovered the best way to struggle and the best way to field while in jail, Qawi – all 5’6” of him (listings differ) – got here out uncooked however hungry. After going 1-1-1 at the beginning of his professional profession, Qawi grew to become a severely polished stone or gem of a fighter. Quick, capable of slip and slide with the very best of ’em, and capable of make the opposite man pay if/when he did miss a shot, Qawi might additionally out-jab a lot taller males. Qawi might outwork nearly any opponent, and Dwight might break a man’s coronary heart together with his fixed, crouching, snarling strategy. Along with his interior hearth, accompanied by an important chin, Qawi ruined excellent males like Mike Rossman, James Scott, Matthew Saad Muhammad (this to turn out to be gentle heavyweight champ), Jerry Martin, and Eddie Davis.
Then, after a loss to Michael Spinks on factors over 15, which was, at the least partially, attributable to Qawi’s busted septum, “The Buzzsaw” began chopping down cruiserweight timber, even heavyweight timber!
Immediately, Qawi – who was enshrined into The Corridor of Fame in 2003, his accomplished life, nicely, accomplished – is finest remembered for his epic battle with Evander Holyfield, this within the scorching summer season of ’86. However as nice as that struggle was – and stays – Dwight misplaced. And Qawi ought to by no means, ever be remembered as a loser. To this present day, rumors swirl that say Holyfield was “on one thing” throughout these 15 rounds with Qawi. We’ll by no means know, however Dwight positive has his beliefs and convictions.
Qawi soldiered on…..right into a struggle with heavyweight legend and behemoth George Foreman! And Qawi, in March of ’88, was bossing the motion. However the short-notice project proved to be an excessive amount of for a Qawi who was way more obese than was the comebacking Foreman, with Qawi pulling, as KO Journal (keep in mind it) reported that day, a “no mas.”
Qawi fought on nonetheless, and in 1989, when well beyond his finest however nonetheless many miles walked from these jail partitions, he got here inside a whisker of profitable again a portion of the cruiserweight title. As a substitute, Robert Daniels took house the break up determination win.
Qawi had fought his final massive struggle and, after a dozen or so extra, some wins, some losses, Dwight rang the bell on his profession in 1998. At 41-11-1(25) Qawi is aware of immediately how nice he was. Those that have a eager eye when watching a struggle realize it, too. And it didn’t harm a bit that Qawi was so thrilling, even enjoyable, to look at.
Blissful birthday once more, champ!
