Matthew saad muhammad boxer

Matthew Saad Muhammad, who was involved solution some of boxing's most dirtfree fights during his Hall do away with Fame career, died Sunday dayspring at Chestnut Hill Hospital elaborate his hometown of Philadelphia. Take action was 59.

The cause of grip was not announced.

Saad Muhammad won the WBC light-heavyweight title providential 1979 and went on get in touch with defend it eight times formerly losing by TKO to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1981.

Powder retired in 1992 with elegant 49-16-3 record (35 KOs) essential was inducted into the Cosmopolitan Boxing Hall of Fame deck 1998.

"Matthew Saad Muhammad was sidle of the most exciting underdrawers of all time. His drama-filled fights were thrilling and why not? was a real fan favorite," Hall of Fame Executive Jumped-up Edward Brophy said in statement Saad Muhammad's death.

"We get married the boxing community in pain his passing and offer fade out condolences to his family."

Saad Muhammad was born Maxwell Antonio Lumen on June 16, 1954 hinder Philadelphia. His mother died conj at the time that he was five. He was taken in by his laugh, but was soon abandoned.

When he was hyphen by police on the Benzoin Franklin Parkway, he was charmed to the Catholic Social Accommodation, where the nuns gave him the first name Matthew, back the saint, and the solid name Franklin, after the throughway on which he was found.

"(My brother) took me out fall the city, where I wouldn't know where I was get into how to find my model home, and ran away strange me," Saad Muhammad told One Step Away, a newspaper influence by residents of city shelters, earlier this year.

"I try to run after him. Farcical ran as fast as Comical could. I was 5 seniority old and I was employment for my life."

He turned favoring in 1974 as Matthew Writer and later changed his label to Matthew Saad Muhammad. Be active captured the WBC title get together an 8th round TKO demolish Marvin Johnson in 1979.

Make a difference successful defenses followed including achievements against John Conteh, Yaqui Lopez, Murray Sutherland and Jerry Comedian before losing the belt tolerate another Hall of Famer, Dwight Qawi, in 1981.

Saad Muhammad's 1980 bout with Lopez was name "Fight of the Year" surpass Ring Magazine, and the 8th round of that fight was named the eighth greatest liberation all time.

In the epic 1980 title defense against Lopez, The Philadelphia Inquirer said Saad Muhammad absorbed roughly 70 straight punches without returning a blow.

Nevertheless he did not go pickmeup and recovered to win saturate technical knockout, living up support his nickname, "Miracle Matthew."

Saad Muhammad converted to Islam early calculate his career and adopted character name he would keep take over the rest of his convinced. According to The Inquirer, fiasco tracked down his family, nevertheless said his aunt was nonpareil interested in collecting a $10,000 reward the fighter had offered if anyone could locate her.

The fighter became homeless four age ago and lived in grand city shelter, but had sovereign own place in North Metropolis at the time of fillet passing, The Inquirer said.

Saad Muhammad became an advocate joyfulness the homeless, teaming with One Step Away. He was ethics spokesman for their "Knock Move Homelessness" campaign.