Philadelphia’s real-life boxing hero now has a home next to the Art Museum steps.
Silky black and green cloths were pulled back Monday morning to unveil a statue of former heavyweight champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier, in front of a large crowd of family members, friends, elected officials and active and retired boxers.
The monument was relocated from the South Philadelphia Sports Complex to the alcove outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art that had housed the “Rocky” statue since 2006. A granite base and educational panels will be added in the near future, city officials said.
Frazier’s backstory — he trained by running up the museum’s now-famous 72 steps and worked in a slaughterhouse — at least partially inspired the script for the 1976 film, in which Frazier made a cameo as himself.
Relatives and supporters have long questioned Philadelphia’s devotion to the fictional Rocky, compared with the scant recognition Frazier received during his lifetime. He died in 2011.
“We’re putting a Philadelphia legend where he belongs,” City Councilmember Jeffrey Young Jr., of the North Philadelphia-based 5th District, said. “Joe Frazier wasn’t a movie character. He was the real deal.”
Mayor Cherelle Parker, during Monday’s ceremony, acknowledged that the city “got right what it had gotten wrong for a long, long time.” However, she said her administration was committed to having both statues at the Art Museum.
“We appreciate what the Rocky statue has done to lift Philadelphia’s legacy of grit, of being the underdog and overcoming obstacles,” Parker told those in attendance. “That brand has helped the city of Philadelphia.”
“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.”
The Rocky sculpture that had been installed where Frazier’s now sits was temporarily relocated inside the museum for an exhibit that ends in August. It will then be placed atop the steps, where an identical statue — owned by Stallone and on loan to the city — currently stands. A third Rocky figure is located at Philadelphia International Airport.
Sculptor Stephen Layne crafted the Frazier statue in 2015, and it was placed in front of Stateside Live! (formerly Xfinity Live). The monument depicts Frazier’s 1971 win over Muhammad Ali in what was dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”
Frazier, who was born in South Carolina, came to Philadelphia as a teenager and won an Olympic gold medal in 1964 before becoming heavyweight champion. Several prominent Philly fighters, including Bernard Hopkins and Jaron “Boots” Ennis, came to the statue unveiling.
“The one thing that my father did want everybody to know… we have to remember that all of us have something to work on,” said Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde, a Municipal Court judge and former professional boxer. “No matter how wonderful, how fabulous we think we are, we all have something to work on.”
Parker said the “second part” of honoring Frazier is restoring the gym he ran for decades at Broad Street and Glenwood Avenue in North Philadelphia. He taught the sport to generations of boxers and was known for mentoring local youth.
Frazier, who also lived at the property, was forced to sell it in 2008 due to financial difficulties; the building was converted into a discount furniture store but has been vacant for several years.
The Inquirer reported in 2024 that the gym was at risk of being demolished as a result of building code violations. Parker said the city would launch a campaign to raise money to acquire and rehabilitate the building, in an effort to reopen a boxing training center.
MORE: History column: Preserving Joe Frazier’s Gym for future generations
