The history of Philly’s Joe Frazier statue, from inception to a potential move to the Art Museum

The blank space that our famed Rocky statue is slated to soon leave at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps could be filled by a monument to someone a whole lot less fictional — and it’s been a long time coming.

After just over a decade standing outside of what is now known as Stateside Live!, the city’s statue of Philly’s own “Smokin’” Joe Frazier may be the newest Philly boxer to call the Art Museum home. Creative Philadelphia, the city’s office for the creative sector, is expected on Wednesday to present a proposal to the Art Commission that would do just that.

That proposal is the latest development in a saga that began before Frazier’s death from liver cancer in 2011. Frazier’s statue was unveiled in 2015 after years of work and advocacy — something fans and supporters considered an injustice, given that the statue of Rocky Balboa has been in the city for more than 40 years, and he’s not even a real person.

Rocky, in fact, has been stationed at the base of the Art Museum steps since 2006. That lengthy run follows installations not only at the top of the steps, but at the sports complex in South Philadelphia, where the Frazier statue has been located since its inception. And Rocky has been in his current home twice as long as the Frazier statue has existed.

Still, Philly’s Frazier statue has a storied history of its own. Here is how The Inquirer and Daily News covered it:

Frazier’s supporters had long lamented that Philadelphia lacked a memorial to the boxer. In fact, in a June 2011 Daily News poll, nearly 21% of respondents said Smokin’ Joe should be the next Philadelphia legend honored with a statue — second only to Flyers great Bob Clarke, who himself got a statue in 2013.

Calls for a statue intensified after Frazier’s death in November 2011. His loved ones and fans — including fellow Philly boxing great Bernard Hopkins — leaned on the city to memorialize the fallen legend. As Hopkins that year told the Daily News, the city ought to “build the biggest statue in appreciation for all the heart and love” Frazier gave to Philadelphia.

Following his death, Frazier laid in state at the Wells Fargo Center to allow friends, family, and fans to grieve. At Frazier’s funeral, the Rev. Jesse Jackson admonished the city for its lack of respect to Frazier.

“Tell them Rocky was not a champion, Joe Frazier was,” Jackson said to cheers. “Tell them Rocky’s fists were frozen in stone. Joe’s fists were smokin’.”

In March 2012, two months after what would have been Frazier’s 68th birthday, boxing promoter Joe Hand — a longtime Frazier supporter — publicized plans for a life-sized statue of Frazier that would be placed near what was then Xfinity Live! At a cost of $200,000, Hand pledged a memorial would be built.

Divisions among family members, friends, and business partners emerged, but by that September, Frazier’s family — led by daughters and estate executors Weatta Collins and Renae Martin — took over efforts for a statue.

Hand later bowed out of the proceedings, leaving the memorial up to Frazier’s family with backing from the city via the Fund for Philadelphia. Plans later shifted to a $150,000 funding goal for the statue, with support from the city under then Mayor Michael Nutter, who was a longtime Frazier fan dating back to his childhood.

“[This is] a very personal moment for me to be in this position and make this announcement about someone I truly admire,” Nutter told The Inquirer in 2012.

In April 2013, Frazier’s family and the city selected New Hampshire-based sculptor Lawrence J. Nowlan to helm the project. An Overbrook Park native, Nowlan honed in on an image of Frazier knocking down fellow legend Muhammad Ali in the famed 1971 “Fight of the Century” as the statue’s inspiration.

But in late July, Nowlan unexpectedly died at the age of 48. The city proceeded with its Frazier statue plans, and roughly three months later selected Fishtown-based sculptor Stephen Layne as Nowlan’s replacement.

“We all deeply regret the passing of sculptor Lawrence Nowlan and the loss of his artistry in this project,” Nutter said at the time. “But Mr. Nowlan’s untimely passing will not deter us from honoring a great Philadelphian.”

Layne largely stuck with Nowlan’s plan, and in December 2013, the Art Commission approved designs for a Frazier statue depicting the iconic Ali fight. It was, The Inquirer reported, expected to stand at nine feet tall, plus a three-foot base, ultimately to be cast in bronze.

Among the most ardent supporters of the Frazier statue ahead of its unveiling in September 2015 was boxer Hopkins, who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to see it erected. In April 2014, he told the Daily News that Frazier “has a rightful place in Philadelphia history and that should be honored.”

Sculptor Layne, meanwhile, plugged away at the statue for months. The pose, he told the Daily News ahead of its unveiling, showed a “pivotal moment” in Frazier’s career, which itself showed a “blue-collar mentality” that showcased his connection to Philadelphia perfectly.

And finally, on Sept. 12, 2015, Philly finally got its first look at the statue with its unveiling on the corner of Pattison Avenue and 11th Street. Family and friends pulled a green shroud off the statue in front of several hundred onlookers.

“I am very happy to know Joe is being honored and memorialized in the city he loved, something that is long overdue,” Ali, Frazier’s longtime arch-nemesis, told the Daily News. “Joe was a great boxer and a worthy opponent in the ring. He always brought his best whenever he stepped inside the ropes. My only regret is that Joe won’t be there to share in the celebration.”