Honoring the life and mourning the death of Matthew Saad Muhammed, boxer and advocate for the homeless.

WHEREAS, Matthew Saad Muhammad was born Maxwell Antonio Loach on June 16, 1954 in Philadelphia. His mother died when he was five. He was taken in by his aunt, but was soon abandoned. When he was found by police on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, he was taken to the Catholic Social Services, where the nuns gave him the first name Matthew, after the saint, and the last name Franklin, after the parkway on which he was found; and

WHEREAS, Against all odds, Saad Muhammad won the WBC light-heavyweight title in 1979 and went on to defend it eight times before losing by TKO to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in 1981. He retired in 1992 with a 49-16-3 record (35 KOs) and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998. He was considered one of the most exciting boxers of all time. His drama-filled fights were thrilling and he was a real fan favorite; and

WHEREAS, Although Saad Muhammad earned nearly $5 million during his career, he was found to be broke and homeless on the streets of Philadelphia a few years ago. But with help he eventually got on his feet again and became an advocate for helping the homeless, including serving as a spokesman for the "Knock Out Homelessness" campaign; and

WHEREAS, The Hall of Fame inductee and former light-heavyweight champion Saad Muhammad died Sunday, May 25, 2014 at Chestnut Hill Hospital after battling a lengthy illness; and

WHEREAS, Matthew Saad Muhammad will be remembered as a great champion, an absolutely heroic action fighter with a giant heart and one of the great gentlemen in sports; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors the life and mourns the death of Matthew Saad Muhammed, boxer and advocate for the homeless.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Matthew Saad Muhammad as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.

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