RON TODT
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A champion boxer who was abandoned as a child but rose to become “one of the most exciting boxers of all time” has died. Matthew Saad Muhammad was 59.

A spokesman for an advocacy group that Saad Muhammad worked with says he died Sunday at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

Saad Muhammad won the North American Boxing Federation light heavyweight crown in 1977 and the World Boxing Council title in 1979. International Boxing Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy says he “was one of the most exciting boxers of all time. His drama-filled fights were thrilling.”

The Philadelphia-born Saad Muhammad was abandoned at age 5 and taken in by nuns. Forced to stay briefly in a Philadelphia homeless shelter years ago, Saad Muhammad rebounded and became an advocate on homeless issues.

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