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 in Crous' native South Africa. He won two more fights, including a victory over former world heavyweight titlist Leon Spinks, before accepting a challenge from Olympian Evander Holyfield 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 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 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 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. Life after boxing In 1998, Dwight began working at the Lighthouse, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Mays Landing, New Jersey. He works with both adults and adolescents and is a patient advocate. Professional boxing record See also List of world light-heavyweight boxing champions List of world cruiserweight boxing champions References External links |- 1953 births Living people American male boxers African-American boxers African-American Muslims American Muslims Converts to Islam Sportspeople from Camden, New Jersey Boxers from Baltimore Boxers from New Jersey International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees World light-heavyweight boxing champions World cruiserweight boxing champions World Boxing Council champions World Boxing Association champions The Ring (magazine) champions 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople