Matthew Saad Muhammad, the hard-punching Philadelphian who reigned as light heavyweight champ from 1979 to 1981, has died at 59 in a Philadelphia hospital.

Muhammad (49-16-3, 35 knockouts) stopped Marvin Johnson to win the WBC title and made eight successful defenses before losing his belt to Dwight Muhammad Qawi in a strong era for 175-pounders.

He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998.

A full report will follow shortly.