Qa'id Muhammad was an undefeated professional fighter, ready to take on a new opponent after six-years outside of the ring.

But an alleged killer with unclear motives who shot the 29-year-old Atlantic City boxer and dumped his body in the Nevada desert cut his comeback story short last week.

"We feel in denial, because as far as I'm concerned, I still haven't seen the body. I'm still hoping," Abdur Rahim Muhammad, his father, said in a phone call with NJ Advance Media Sunday. "I would love for my son to call me and tell me, 'I lost my phone and just took a trip somewhere else.' "

Qa'id Muhammad. (Photo provided)

Police in Henderson, Nev., said a body was found in the desert just outside of Las Vegas Wednesday, after it was allegedly thrown from a black SUV.

The man appeared to have suffered from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to police.

After tracking the SUV and executing a search warrant at a Henderson home, police arrested Ryan Small, 38, and charged him with murder with a deadly weapon, according to police.

Officials have not yet released the man's identity, but Muhammad's father confirmed the man was his son, and said his family is in the process of trying to get Muhammad's body back to New Jersey for a funeral.

Abdur Rahim Muhammad said his son was on the way to the gym Wednesday, when Small, who his son knew vaguely from another acquaintance, offered him a ride. He said Muhammad had a cell phone and around $500-600 in his wallet, but that it's not clear what prompted the shooting.

His father described him as a fierce boxer who could throw big punches, but had an even bigger heart.

"He had that dual personality," he said. "In the ring he was mean and vicious and outside he was just passionate and loving and always smiling and always laughing."

Muhammad had a successful amateur career with an overall record of 89-9. He earned a spot as an alternate with the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

He debuted as a professional that same year in the bantamweight division, for fighters weighing less than 118 pounds. He won all eight of his fights between 2008 and 2012, with seven knockouts.

But Muhammad hadn't fought in the six years since, after a run-in with the law slowed his career.

In 2012, he was accused of striking a man and pulling him from a vehicle, which was, in part, blamed for slowing his career. He eventually pleaded guilty to third-degree unlawful taking.

Around 2015, he moved to Las Vegas to train at Mayweather Boxing Club. He was preparing to fight again between October and December, his father said.

Muhammad leaves behind 12 siblings, as well as a young daughter born in February, named Corinthian Sophia Grace Clark, his father said. He is Abdur Rahim Muhammad's oldest son.

"Every picture that we took with the family, you always see him with one of the babies in his arms," he said. "I always loved that about him."

Even in the ring, Muhammad's father said his son had a compassionate side.

During Muhammad's first professional fight, his father said he watched his son knock out his opponent, but then stop to kneel by his side, making sure he would be okay.

"I saw something in him that really stood out. He didn't jump up. He didn't celebrate. He kneeled near the opponent," he said. "He wouldn't get up until the opponent was going to be okay."

"I thought that was such great sportsmanship."

Amanda Hoover can be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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