"The Brawl for it All" was a long-awaited match. Qawi had defeated Matthew Saad Muhammad for the WBC world title, and Spinks had defeated Eddie Mustafa Muhammad for the WBA world title. Both Qawi and Spinks had defeated some top name challengers during the course of their championship runs; boxing fans and experts alike clamoured for the fight to take place.
The fight had some dramatic backgrounds: two months before, Spinks' longtime girlfriend, who was the mother of his only daughter, had died after a car accident.[1] On fight night, Spinks' two-year-old daughter, unaware that her mother had died, walked into Spinks' locker room and asked when would her mother show up to see the fight. Spinks cried, but he was able to keep his composure.
Qawi had been better known to most fans as Dwight Braxton. He still had not talked much in public about his name change and his Muslim faith. About seven days before the fight, he revealed that his doctors had recommended him not to fight, as he had been diagnosed with pneumonia. This diagnosis put the fight in jeopardy, but he decided to go on with the fight.
The bout was carried live on HBO Boxing. The bout was fought at Atlantic City, New Jersey, near Qawi's hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Some fans and critics would later say that the fight did not live up to its name, because they were expecting an action packed fight