Joe Frazier statue to be unveiled near steps of Philadelphia Art Museum
Joe Frazier statue placed at foot of Philadelphia Art Museum steps
A statue of boxing legend and Philadelphia icon Joe Frazier will be unveiled at its new permanent location at the foot of the Philadelphia Art Museum.
PHILADELPHIA - A statue of Philadelphia boxing legend Joe Frazier will be unveiled in its new home at the foot of the Art Museum steps on Monday.
What we know:
Mayor Cherell Parker and Philadelphia leaders will gather outside the Art Museum on Monday to unveil the Joe Frazier statue.
Sculpted by Stephen Layne, the Joe Frazier statue was first installed in the South Philadelphia sports complex in 2015.
The statue of the former heavyweight champion will now be permanently placed where the iconic Rocky statue once stood.
The Philadelphia Art Commission voted in January to move the Rocky statue to the top of the Art Museum steps.
The backstory:
Born in South Carolina, Smokin' Joe Frazier made a name for himself in boxing after moving north to Philadelphia.
Frazier, who was known to train on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, won 32 of his 37 career boxing matches.
He won a gold medal for the U.S. in the 1964 Olympics, and famously handed Muhammad Ali his first professional loss in 1971.
He held the heavyweight title from February 1970 to January 1973.
Frazier died in Philadelphia at the age of 67 in 2011. He was laid to rest at Ivory Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia's Cedarbrook section.
What you can do:
You can watch the Joe Frazier statue unveiling in the live player above at 10 a.m.