PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The bronze statue of real-life Philly boxer “Smokin’” Joe Frazier has a permanent home outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, replacing the popular Rocky sculpture of fictional fighter Rocky Balboa.
City leaders joined Frazier family members in unveiling the statue at a ceremony Monday near the foot of the Art Museum steps.
The 9-foot likeness of Frazier depicts his follow-through after the left hook that knocked down Muhammad Ali in the 1971 “Fight of the Century.”
The statue had stood outside Stateside Live! at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex for the last decade.
“There was talk even 12 years ago, 11 years ago when this was first installed, that we would want to move this up to somewhere around here,” sculptor Stephen Layne told KYW Newsradio at Monday’s unveiling. “One of the most wonderful aspects of it is, instead of it being just considered a sports figure, that it is a cultural icon and a cultural figure. And for that to be in such a wonderful location reinforces that sentiment for everyone.”
Mayor Cherelle Parker, speaking during the ceremony, said the actor who played “Rocky” was on board with the move.
“When I shared with Sylvester Stallone that we were moving Joe Frazier here, Sylvester Stallone said that is what is supposed to happen. So give it up for Sylvester Stallone.”
Parker said the Rocky statue, which was moved inside the museum for a summertime exhibition, had been the second-most-visited statue in the nation behind the Statue of Liberty. The Rocky statue will later be moved to the top of the Art Museum steps.
The mayor also said the city would launch a “vehicle” to allow people to contribute toward restoring Frazier’s North Philadelphia gym.
Frazier, an Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight champion, died of liver cancer in 2011.
Frazier’s daughter, Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde, said her father’s statue stands near the Philadelphia spot where he used to do calisthenics while training.
“We just want people to know when you come to Philly, you gonna get it,” she told reporters. You’re going to get sisterly affection, brotherly love, and if you need a beatdown, we got that for you too!”
Frazier's sculpture now stands near the Art Museum steps
Frazier's sculpture now stands near the Art Museum steps
