The Philadelphia Art Commission approved the proposal to move the statue of former heavyweight champion, “Smokin’” Joe Frazier from its current location in front of Stateside Live! to the base of the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Frazier’s sculpture will replace the Rocky statue that has been in that space since 2006. Rocky will move into the Art Museum for an exhibition and then to a permanent spot at the top of the front steps later this year — close to the spot where it was first unveiled at the end of “Rocky III.”
“As we celebrate our 250th, visitors will come here seeking authentic stories about Philadelphia,” Marguerite Anglin, the public art director for the city’s arts office said during Wednesday’s meeting. “Placing the Joe Frazier statue at the Art Museum allows us to share a more complete story about Philadelphia’s spirit, one rooted in real people, real work, and real pride in this city.”
The five commissioners present voted unanimously in favor of the proposal after hearing statements and questions from Creative Philadelphia, the sculpture’s creator, Stephen Layne, members of Frazier’s family and others.
The proposal had the support of Mayor Cherelle Parker, the Art Museum, Layne, and Frazier’s family and foundation, among others. The total budget allocated for the move is $150,000, using city funds.
Two of Frazier’s granddaughters raised concerns during a public comments session. Gabrielle Gibson asked why the statue of Philadelphia’s real boxing icon — a former world champion, Olympic gold medalist and three-time Golden Glove winner — would be situated near the bottom of the steps, while the figure of a fictional boxer would have the better view of the Center City skyline.
“The history of the steps is well established to those that know about it, and they aren’t the Rocky steps,” she said. “They are the ‘Smokin’’ Joe Frazier steps.”
As detailed in an episode of WHYY’s “The Statue” podcast, Rocky’s now-iconic run up the museum steps and his workout session punching frozen meat in a slaughterhouse were inspired by Frazier’s training regimen. Stallone even gave Frazier a cameo role in the first “Rocky” movie and considered him for the role of James “Clubber” Lang in the third installment of the franchise — until he felt one of Frazier’s punches while sparring during the audition.
Another of Frazier’s grandchildren asked if the statue could be left in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and a new statue be made for the Art Museum location.
Addressing those concerns, Anglin said the move would put the two statues in dialogue, allowing viewers to see the significance that the real boxer had towards the creation of the fictional one.
Anglin said Philadelphia is big enough “to celebrate both the real life story of Joe Frazier and the myth of Rocky, and we’re proud enough to do that. In other words, this is not a competition. It’s a conversation, and public art can help us have those conversations.”
Anglin added that tourists coming to the Art Museum would likely encounter the Frazier statue before they see Rocky. And the larger footprint of the Frazier statue would be less safe at the top of the steps, she said.
The commission did amend the proposal before voting for it, adding that “reader rails” will surround the Frazier statue to display validated historic information about the boxer. They also asked that the Rocky store at the foot of the museum steps post directions to the Frazier statue. Creative Philadelphia Chief Cultural Officer Valerie V. Gay said that discussions were already underway to that end, and to integrate community outreach and work with the curator of the upcoming “Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments” exhibition, running from April 25 to Aug. 2.
There are currently three Rocky statues in the city, all cast by A. Thomas Schomberg. Apart from the one that will move up the steps, there’s a second one that’s already there. Stallone himself loaned it to the city in 2024 as part of the first-ever RockyFest, and it will be returned to him. The third one was unveiled at Philadelphia International Airport last November and will remain a permanent fixture in Terminal A-West, between Gates 15 and 16.
Frazier was born in Beaufort, S.C., and moved to Philly when he was 15. His boxing career included three Golden Gloves heavyweight championships, an Olympic gold medal and a victory over Muhammad Ali in 1971’s “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden. The statue portrays Frazier’s knockout punch in that bout. He lost to Ali in 1974 and, a year later, in the “Thrilla in Manila.” Frazier died in Philadelphia in 2011.
Critics have called out civic recognition of Frazier’s legacy for being sparse compared with celebrations of the fictional character Rocky, whose statue draws an estimated 4 million tourists to the museum every year. Commission member Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta and others said they saw the relocation as a step toward rectifying that.
“I feel like this sort of reunion is an opportunity for us all to go on a journey of healing and of pride in moments where our public art hasn’t reflected the broader hidden histories of our city,” he said.
