The Shortest Heavyweight Learned To Box In Prison & Became A Champ - Qawi Boxing Style Explained

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Skill Building E Books: www.modernmartialartist.com/technique-books-by-tmma-david-christian/ Skill Building Paperback: www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQSDWM1Y?binding=paperback Mortal Weapons Comic Series www.amazon.com/dp/B07TNK4TQR?binding=kindle_ Discord: discord.gg/unmjWfQ474

[@Fiddyscent]

What’s your take on fighters eating punches? Like I’m the beginning dude was taking the punches to the face with a smile I think it’s down to the punches not being strong enough. Would you ever say it’s due to someone just being able to take a punch?

[@user-bt6py7zl4c]

What tool of Arsenal should a taller fighter use against a shorter fighter? They are tons of instructional video for a smaller opponent to fight against a taller opponent but nothing over sort for a taller opponent to fight against a shorter opponent.

[@The_Marketsurfer]

I grew up with him as a neighbor, and he gave me my first boxing lesson. We played stickball in the school yard, he would come over, buy us pizza and give us boxing lessons. A kind humble man, nice job on the video 🤙

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

That's really cool, got some incredible free training with free pizza, too lucky haha

[@The_Marketsurfer]

@@TheModernMartialArtist He always tried to keep the kids out of trouble, and in that neighborhood, there were few positive influences.

[@surrealistidealist]

​​@@The_Marketsurfer Oh man, that's AWESOME!!! A lot of famous boxers these days won't even visit a local school without charging tons of money. I wish the world had more people like this guy!

[@WhiskeyMyersour]

​@@surrealistidealistThe great Ron Lyle had a similar reputation with at risk youth and helping with boxing training. Both were humble warriors 🥊🥊

[@surrealistidealist]

@@WhiskeyMyersour Yes indeed!!! Joe Frazier, too! They really cared enough about the kids who came through the gym's doors to make it a real community.

[@SOLE_II_SOUL]

Qawi is textbook for any short boxer if you don’t have the super explosive capabilities of a Mike Tyson. And he could have been even better than what he was in the Foreman fight if not for his alcohol abuse. Underrated legend indeed.

[@oneof13forestpeople97]

Gives me Smokin Joe Frazier vibes, and no wonder he trained with him haha

[@nylesfrench3568]

He was old when he fought Foreman and started as a pro very late. He also started as a light Heavyweight. Excellent fighter

[@thatbronzeboij]

@@oneof13forestpeople97 Qawi reminds me somewhat of James Toney and Pernell Whitaker; as well as Frazier.

[@jjthe13th]

Why was he abusing alcohol? What happened to him to do that?

[@thedroidish]

​@@jjthe13th Maybe he had those genes..

[@jrlito2777]

He is the real life wolverine…. Not backing down from any fighter

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Yeah I had a guy I used to spar with call me a mini Wolverine once (as a teasing compliment), and me as a bit of a comic nerd had to go, "Sir I am 5'7", Wolverine is like 5'2, I am a GIANT Wolverine." lol

[@jrlito2777]

lol wolverine fits for both the comics and the real world animal, just never backing down from giants and always stepping forward. Great job on the videos can’t wait to see if you do one on jorge “el maromero” paez

[@redghettosun]

@@TheModernMartialArtist I met a few Qawi body types when I was in the military. They were all black. Roughly 5'6/5'7 who weighed 200 pounds but only 18 years old. These guys did not look overweight at all because everything was evenly spread. One friend of mine got in fights with guys much taller and easily dispatched them all with no problem. Qawi was definitely special though with his skill set and loooong reach for someone his height.

[@Charismaniac]

@@TheModernMartialArtist Wolvie's 5'3" but point taken. Jackman's version is 6'2" though. On a side note, this channel is one of the best and I hope you stay with us.

[@seanbrant7631]

​@@TheModernMartialArtist5'3

[@OU888]

His first fight with Evander Holyfield is still the best cruiserweight title fight ever

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Two men who refused to back down and had the skills to back it up! Absolutely love that fight.

[@AlRedsoxFan]

Great fight

[@OU888]

@@TheModernMartialArtist you think the judges made the right call?

[@jakubwrona2040]

This fight was unreal. Very intense, I couldn’t believe they were able to fight so hard for such a long time.

[@S-fp7uz]

Jirov vs Toney is my favorite, but it's a close second.

[@Silly81]

His ability to slip punches is quite impressive, almost beautiful to watch.

[@drinfernodds]

It had to be demoralizing to have him slip so many of your shots and see him smiling the entire team. Some fighters smile when they're hit, Qawi always smiled.

[@HerculesFit]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@polishheavies8205]

It is beautiful to watch

[@Alex-cw3rz]

I would also point out he came into the George Foreman fight on two weeks notice and his previous fight had been in light heavyweight and he came into this one at 215lbs and he did amazing in general for someone well out of their prime and two weight classes above where they last fought, but then to do it on two weeks notice should make it a legendary fight.

[@blackamericandestroyergod1957]

😮

[@cobb6001]

This guy had every reason to fail in boxing and still was very successful

[@LiteralmenteFadul]

As a 5'7 with a wider frame this video was a gift from heaven. I never tought avout switching guards as you switch positions. Thats so brilliant!

[@OliverOils]

*THE SHORT KING*

[@TheNeorch]

If you don't have the punch like Rocky Marciano,you can have the head like Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

His first fight with Holyfield had the most punches of any cruiserweight fight in history, Holyfield throwing 1,290 punches and Qawi 1,018. Holyfield collapsed with exhaustion after the fight after losing 15 lbs of fluids.

[@gio_roll4]

Jesus fuking christ

[@marshallwayne-uf4pq]

HolyRoids still collapse lol no wonder Evan Fields suffered a heart attack.

[@sharpvidtube]

It looks like he sees his opponent in slow motion. I like the smile, the great boxers enjoy it. His reflexes are incredible, while the head movements make opponents miss, he's still dodging some of those punches by such a small margin.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Holyfield said his hardest fight of his career was against Qawi

[@fgsf9]

That's incredible 💯💯☯️

[@Lucas777-s6t]

First fight was a 15 round war

[@spaceman6215]

His fight against Holyfield was the last great 15 round fight. And honestly is one of my favorite of all time.

[@thenerdhimself4434]

It wasn't 15 round though(neither was the 2nd one)

[@freddy8479]

​@@thenerdhimself4434 YES IT WAS!!

[@EverettBurger]

Watching Dwight growing up, I pondered what kind of wrestler he would have been. He boxes like a wrestler: low center of gravity, inside control, crowd out an opponent's movement, move forward deliberately

[@thenerdhimself4434]

Good point

[@pat1403]

True. He's like the DC of boxing

[@TheNeorch]

​@@pat1403looks fat and short but actually strong

[@FatherDinny]

His first fight with Evander holyfield was brilliant. He has such a hard chin and his head movement is next level. Underrated boxer

[@denisesayers8520]

I thought Holyfield getting the decision was a little suspect.

[@chosensun2627]

@@denisesayers8520it’s only because Holyfield was more popular and favorite

[@SHDW-nf2ki]

Never let anyone tell you where you "belong" Fight your way to the top and never back down!

[@bunnyman6321]

💯

[@leonardevans1441]

I'm very happy to see someone finally recognize the excellence and uniqueness of this great warrior. I was a fan way back when he was still billed as Dwight Braxton. I remember some talk in the early to mid 1980s (an article in a boxing magazine) about Qawi and Hagler. This is when both were in their prime. Qawi held the WBC light heavy world title and Hagler was the Undisputed Middle weight champion. Qwai was weighing in around 167 in the 175 division. It didn't get very far, just talk. Hagler was not interested in moving up in weight and Qawi wasn't interested in moving down. If a comprise on weight could have been agreed upon, that would have not greatly compromised either fighter, Well... That would have had the potential to be one of the great all-time fights of that era. Just a little historical side note at this point. Anyway, much respect for giving Dwight Qawi his due recognition as a great fighter and champion.

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

That's a fascinating bit of trivia, would have been a crazy fight for sure! Thanks for sharing.

[@PartyCrasher04]

Dwight weighed in at 167 FIGHTING at 175? Thats insane, he definitely could’ve made 160 if this is true.

[@Supernugget45]

@@PartyCrasher04 It's also complete insanity that someone weighing in at 167 would go on to have a successful career at heavyweight too lol

[@thenerdhimself4434]

​@Supernugget45 yeah he made it to 8th round with Big George(240lbs) who was one of the hardest punchers in human history

[@thenerdhimself4434]

I love Hagler and consider him top 5-10 p4p ever but the sheer size&strength difference would make it too hard for him to win. It's "only 7lbs" difference or even less, but in fact Qawi was a natural LHW close to CW

[@chukim8012]

This guy was the living definition of Short King 👑

[@r.a.8407]

Authentic 52 blocks style forged in prison system!!!! lyte burly would definitely approve!!! This is what he been teaching & telling us about

[@dannygrizz4358]

Dwight Muhammad Qawi. Cruiserweight legend. Nuff said.

[@thenerdhimself4434]

Maybe but he was better at LHW

[@iAmDe123]

It's about time someone covered qawi's unique style. Long overdue. Definitely a style that should be imitated by smaller boxers such as myself, instead of everyone wanting to be a peakaboo fighter.

[@damonshekhem8906]

Great poiny

[@DaDominicanDawg]

Real af

[@rileysmith117]

Qawi is built like fire hydrant. The is a strong tought.he fought great fighters.

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Yeah I wonder how big his wrists and hands were. I don't think he was built like the usual proportions of a 5'6" dude haha

[@thenerdhimself4434]

​@@TheModernMartialArtisthe isn't 5'6 though, under various Tales of The Tapes he is 5'7"5

[@coyoteunclean]

As a fellow 5'7, I love that guy!

[@user-zz5wk8dr3w]

Me too bud 😂

[@polishherowitoldpilecki5521]

The best

[@Christopher-su6tm]

Never understand height it's a mystery

[@WhiskeyMyersour]

Once again David thank you for showcasing this amazing fighter. The fact he started at 20 and achieved what he did is simply astonishing. Some are born for battle, and this man certainly was. He was born to fight. Plain and simple.

[@paulnarez7598]

Coming from a guy who’s 5’6” on a good day, these videos are the best. I’m not a boxer but I still learn from these videos just in case. Keep up the great work bro.

[@Renwoxing13]

2:45 I thought i saw "Shades" of, *'SMOKIN' JOE FRAZIER'* , in Kawhi's / Qawi's guard and technique !¡! His bobbing elusiveness is as : ™️ - Smokin' Joe - ™️ As I have ever Seen !¡!

[@FrostedBlakes670]

It’s very cool Joe trained him

[@jjthe13th]

I'm so happy to finally see this guy covered. Is that "Turtle shell" or something? He always seemed like a turtle to me. But a very malicious turtle that took after Joe Frazier who smiles every time u either miss or hit him.

[@drbjr8223]

Watched this again this morning, man i can't get over that defensive move shifts for everything, dude was so smart, using things so his size really didn't matter.

[@ziff_1]

Qawi, Locche, Lopez .... 3 of the best defensive fighters and dodge artists I've seen!

[@zentai5076]

augustus?

[@thenerdhimself4434]

The disrespect to not include Pernell, FMJ and Ali

[@Lethalbanter]

Pernell, lomachenko, the grandmaster, floyd

[@bambaraboxing]

My favorite fighter! I reference him all the time in my coaching. Wonderful Video

[@GhilenPeek]

This guy is underrated.

[@noahstewart6181]

FINALLY a great video on Qawi, one of my all-time favorite fighters. A true human tank with a cannon for a jab.

[@ScottsStockDueDiligence]

Tyson’s defense + Frazier’s defense = Qawi’s defense

[@jxeu1128]

I love Dwight’s style, much needed video

[@tsuchinoko9417]

Since we're on short kings, can we get a mike zambidis video next

[@drbjr8223]

Damn this guy is awesome, really love the stance shifting for different defenses for different situations. he was smooth looking too.

[@GavinFox-uk9sn]

I loved Qawis underrated jab, it cut through guards like a hot knife on butter, his head movement was smooth and not choppy, he got under a tall guys jab with ease, truly a champion.

[@felicecancellara4524]

Qawi was like a shark that continuously swam towards you, a true legend

[@TheFastFreddy]

Love this little guy

[@birdflu631]

Qawi is one of my favorite fighters of all time. Thanks for this video!!!

[@lukagongadze71]

I love this style breakdowns but I would love to see more boxing fight breakdowns with all the back story and stuff, enjoyed the video a lot❤

[@drbjr8223]

yeah i could easily watcha break down of this boxer's career that is a hour or more long lol so unique.

[@lightjones9894]

I was wondering if you were going to do a video on the Buzzsaw

[@r.a.8407]

Been waiting on this 1 👏🏼

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Yeah I should have put this out a while ago! haha Guy deserves to have his style studied.

[@r.a.8407]

Literally a battled tested product of 52 blocks in boxing

[@Potbellypugilist]

Qawi was an awesome fighter. Love these breakdown videos.

[@surrealistidealist]

I think smaller heavyweights can offset their size disadvantage by having a lower center of gravity and a higher work rate relative to their heart rate. Bigger guys can burn too much stamina if the smaller guy can set a more intense pace for long enough. What feels like Zone 4 cardio for the smaller heavyweight can feel like Zone 5 cardio fit the bigger heavyweight. It's a lot harder for bigger opponents to have both speed and stamina; they seem to have only one or the other.

[@marquismorris1548]

Deceptive reach and footwork with a heavy weights power. Awesome if he was taller. High ring IQ and realist when koed by Holyfeid acknowledged his age was a factor but not an excuse - very few fighters admit it.

[@jhc827]

Dwight was always one of my favorites when I was a youngster. I figured he would beat Matthew SM, but not as easily as he did. He just dismantled him. I liked Saad, too (how could anyone not?), so even though I was a DMQ fan, it was sad to see Saad get beat up like that. An incredibly impressive performance by Qawi, although I think the many ring wars Saad had been in had caught up with him and played a part in his loss.

[@DaniG._.German]

*YES!!!* I've been waiting for this for so long. Thank you TheModernMartialArtist.

[@ashursmithen5451]

Yeeeahhhh boiiii, I've been patiently waiting for this one since your Two Ton Tony video!

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

I know that Dwight would most likely take out Two Tons pretty easily, but now you have me thinking about it and it would be pretty entertaining to watch. If for no other reason than to see both of their antics and taunting in the ring.

[@LucasMatos1984]

Two Ton Galetto would be nice to see against Butter Bean

[@thenerdhimself4434]

​@@LucasMatos1984now that is a FUN fight

[@brobruddha29]

I was hoping for u to do Qawi let’s gooooo

[@chaosdromanah8620]

Niccolino would be proud of that Head movement

[@jessebell1930]

A true story of redemption and determination to make a go of a legitimate life. With out of this world results. Hats off👊

[@iecy5443]

my favourite boxer of all time

[@user-ob1sb1wf5p]

Looks nice! Like a more calculated Frazier The foreman fight looks like a good one

[@xavierjuno4572]

Funny you mention that considering he was actually trained by/with Frazier

[@HashSlingerJesse]

ive been watching boxing for about 3 or 4 years now, never heard of this man, I love learrning about different legends from different eras.

[@naughtybynature999]

one of the best boxing breakdowns I've seen. i remember watching him as a kid, but i was too little to understand his tactics. i actually favor his fighting style best for boxing tailored to self-defense, because i think a lot of these are practical tips that anybody can use to survive a fight. fyi anybody looking for an example of a great jab against a tall fighter watch Ward-Kovalev 2, masterclass. Ward couldn't get away completely from the jab but did enough.

[@Los21x]

I would like to give credit to the man who trained and taught the art of head movement, mr. Wesley mouzon who was a great fighter himself in the 1930s who had to stop boxing because of a detached retina he got from a fight. He wanted to box and move around and Mr. Wes told him you can’t fight like that you’re too small. At the current time he was 1-1-1 as a pro. although from Camden, he train with the Philadelphia legends. One of the reasons he was so successful with the head movement it’s because he wouldn’t move his head until he got into a punching range. Punching in particular jabbing from the angles in and out, gave him a lot of success, because it was a good jab, and it was coming from a unusual angle in the light heavyweight division. Being tall is an advantage but so is being small if your built like bull dog and are mentally tough and good condition.

[@Just_a_Reflection]

Dwight Braxton/Dwight Qawi is one of the most overlooked great fighters of all time. His defense was immaculate.

[@disgrapefruit2bitter]

Love Qawi. Exact opposite of me in height and build. You take so much less punishment sparring if you are tall with a good jab. I'm always amazed by the guys that can overcome a huge height and reach disadvantage. I notice Stanionis uses the same type of timed power jab and I only see Crawford and Ennis beating him. I would like to see Isaac Cruz start jabbing more like this. The rest of his game is complete.

[@TFB97]

Great video. Qawi was a brilliant fighter.

[@cesarquint256]

Absolutely amazing boxer I didn’t knew

[@Torgo1969]

Always liked Qawi back in the day. Respect and honor for rising up after prison.

[@darrylmcadoo7375]

I remember Dwight & saad battles 1&2 what a display of technical history of boxing 🥊!!💯.

[@eyestrail]

Finally my boxing idol gets some recognition he deserves🔥

[@fakecyanidecomrade2731]

Finally a Qawi breakdown

[@jesuspernia8031]

It’s interesting seeing him defend. A lot of bending at the waist. As opposed to Tyson where it’s mostly bending at the knees. He trained at Frazier’s gym though so no wonder why he moves like that. I knew I recognized that style somewhere.

[@PartyCrasher04]

One of my favorite boxers ever

[@ogreface8]

Was just watching Quawi footage, LET’S GO. One of the most entertaining boxers of all time, no doubt

[@cmbrewer84]

He went back to Rahway state prison to fight James Scott. Qawi was a monster in the ring and one of my favorite fighters

[@Ren_Brands]

Great Video about one of my all time favourite fighters. His fights vs Mathew Saad Muhammad where truly Amazing!

[@tommyyork9786]

Always loved watching him fight. Qawi and Holy was awesome.

[@JoaoAzevedosudre]

I love Qawi. That ducking and slipping like Frazier. It's like a dance... I want to move just like them!

[@WarioSaysSo]

Dwight "The Camden Buzzsaw" Qawi - PRO record: 41-11-1, KO's 25 / World title record: 6-4-0, KO's 6. - 2 Weight Division World Champion. # Lineal/WBC World Light Heavyweight Champion: 1981-1983 (4-1-0, KO's 4). # WBA World Cruiserweight Champion: 1985-1986 (2-1, KO's 2). # 2-time WBC Continental Americas Cruiserweight Champion: 1989-1990 & 1991. # Defeated 7 recognized world champions: Matthew Saad Muhammad x2, Leon Spinks, Ricky Parkey, Mike Rossman, Piet Crous, Lee Roy Murphy & Tyrone Booze + top contenders; James Scott, Eddie Davis etc. # Lost to 7 recognized world champions: Evander Holyfield x2, George Foreman, Michael Spinks, Ossie Ocasio, Robert Daniels, Arthur Williams & Nate Miller. # The first ever Light Heavyweight world champion to become Cruiserweight world champion. # The shortest in height (5 ft 6.5 in / 169 cm) Cruiserweight World Champion ever.

[@herohunter5961]

He was 5'5"/1.66m

[@Oldtimenattylife]

You can tell he learned at Frazier gym this mat bob and weave is always a treat to watch

[@ZBOXINGTALK]

One of my favourite fighters of all time.

[@seancidy6008]

Frazier was easy for George because he was not protected against Foreman's straight arming and pushing down, which was so blatant against Qawi that the ref stepped on and gave a warning about it. The battering he gave Qawi's kidneys went unpunished though.

[@pokehybridtrainer]

Hell of a story, and all of those crazy dodges. Great to find out his boxing legacy.

[@TheRealTruth533]

One of my favorite boxers. One of a kind. Legend.

[@shhh6372]

Been waiting for someone to do a video on him for so long, glad you’re the one to do it! You’re the best dude

[@theaquariancontrarian3316]

"You dont belong here, youre too small." Him: "Hold my beer." 👊💥🥴😵😵‍💫💫

[@teddykayy]

FINALLY you're covering my favorite all-time boxer. Absolutely loved watching this man fight while I was growing up.

[@NYKgjl10]

Qawi was the master of motion. He knows when his opponents' offensive tools, only to weave and sneak in with a jab and his cross guard is like a sword cutting into his opponent's offense and once he's in their comfort zone, he gets right to work.

[@SkinnyFats_703]

Big Respect to him for his toughness and accomplishments 💪🏾🇺🇲

[@gsmusic2009]

Finally, someone talks about this guy his brother Tony was also a boxer at junior middle weight!! this guy was a beast.

[@hermenutic]

Thank you for sharing this. It is an inspiring story.

[@zeusm11]

The Camden Buzzsaw, glad to see him getting love. They don’t make many fighters like this anymore.

[@kelw.5440]

If you think about it, he was pitted against grown men from the start! He's the Honey Badger of boxing LEGENDARY

[@brotherdarkness89]

I may have missed it but I would love a breakdown of Micheal Spinks style if you haven't already

[@juanmartinez3008]

Beautiful love your videos very strategic words and very fluent in creativity. Look forward to reading the last two books of recommendance.

[@michaelmelvin2343]

In my top 10 all time for sure

[@PartyCrasher04]

6:00 I’ve also noticed that Naoya Inoue does this, he has a VERY dynamic guard

[@JamoyMckoy-wn4ck]

Remarkable talent remarkable

[@Kebab288]

The lil rut at 0:28 had me giggling

[@owenwright4927]

Utterly dominant and terrifying boxing champion tough skilled the beating he put on Saad Muhammad (rip) was legendary he fought Michael Spinks at light heavyweight while sick with pneumonia!!! That’s crazy he was outjabbing Foreman at heavyweight!!! If he’d of not abused alcohol I think he would of won way more maybe another belt

[@JHFreedman]

Fellow short king 👑

[@Karim72240]

great as always

[@mariothane8754]

Even without the context, it’s amazing to see how little he chased to prevent his opponents from escaping. He has the utmost confidence that he commands the rhythm of these encounters, and knows exactly what bait to use to catch them.

[@hiruyabebaw7140]

A man of gerth

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

hahahaha

[@Alex-cw3rz]

He was one of the shortest heavyweights but he did not have a particularly short reach and it was Rocky Marciano that had the shortest reach of any heavyweight title holder using a cross arm guard among other techniques to mitigate jabs and it was Samuel Peters vs Juilius Long which had the largest reach disadvantage in a fight Julius Long have a 90 inch reach he was knocked out in round 1.

[@restitvtororbis5330]

That's a good point. At 5'7 a 71 or 72 inch reach is actually pretty good, definitely not ideal for heavyweight, but Mike tyson was a few inches taller with basically the same reach. Whenever I think about height and reach disadvantages I'm always reminded of a UFC fight between Stefan struve (7 feet tall with 85 inch reach) and Mark Hunt (5'11 with 72 inch reach) where struve, even with over a foot of height and reach advantage, still got put out cold with relative ease. Fighting much shorter opponents requires a certain skillset that is often overlooked

[@Alex-cw3rz]

10:55 and this the issue people are constantly discouraged from things they are great at for surface level things. Luckily in many sports (apart from boxing) they are learning their lesson that it's best to just go for the best athlete rather than the one that ticks the boxes.