Joe Frazier Statue Could Take Rocky's Place At Bottom Of Philly Art Museum Steps

PHILADELPHIA — The Rocky statue later this year will officially and permanently be relocated to the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.

That means the area to the bottom right of the steps where Rocky stands will soon sit empty. But maybe not.

The Philadelphia Art Commission will hold a meeting Wednesday at which the relocation of a statue depicting real-life Philadelphia boxing hero will be discussed.

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Boxing icon "Smokin'" Joe Frazier moved to Philadelphia by himself at just 15 years old in 1959. He went on to become the undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970, won gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics while still an amateur, and in 1971 became the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali. Overall, he had a record of 32 wins (27 of which were knockouts), four losses, and one draw.

He died in Philadelphia on Nov. 7, 2011, at 67 years old from liver cancer and is interred at Ivy Hill Cemetery in Northwest Philadelphia.

A statue of Frazier's likeness was sculpted by Philadelphia artist Stephen Layne and erected in 2015 outside Stateside Live!, then called Xfinity Live!, on Pattison Avenue in 2015.

But now, there's a push to put the boxing hero's statue by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Creative Philadelphia is seeking approval to relocate the statue to the current location of the Rocky statue, to the right of the bottom of the museum's steps.

Creative Philadelphia Chief Cultural Officer Valerie Gay and Public Art Director Marguerite Anglin, in a letter to Philadelphia Art Commission Director Katherine Liss, requested the statue be moved.

"Despite being one of Philadelphia’s most loved and famous athletes, many are unaware of Joe Frazier’s documented and real-life connection to the Art Museum, where he trained regularly by running through Fairmount Park and up the Museum steps, serving as inspiration for the Rocky character," the letter reads. "The recently approved relocation of the Rocky statue offers a meaningful opportunity to contextualize and shed light on one of Philadelphia’s most iconic locations with the real-life history and inspiration that helped to define this cultural destination."

Gay and Anglin said moving the statue would "increase public visibility for the statue, deepen educational opportunities, and create a respectful dialogue between two complementary representations of Philadelphia’s spirit: Rocky Balboa as a symbol of hard work and aspiration, and Joe Frazier as the embodiment of those values lived out in real life."

According to documents, the relocation effort of the city-owned statue would cost $150,000 in public funds.