Fans say goodbye to Joe Frazier

A few hundred yards from where he once scored one of his signature knockouts, Joe Frazier's body lay in state on Friday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.

The 67-year-old boxer was long retired by the time the arena was built, but he opened its predecessor, the now-demolished Spectrum, in 1967 with a second-round knockout of Tony Doyle.

His pearl-white casket with gold piping was in the middle of the arena, flanked by two large photographs of the former heavyweight champion, while gospel music played lightly over the sound system.

Frazier's body will lay in state again on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church on West Cheltenham Avenue.

To the right of the casket was a portrait shot of the fighter, who became an adopted son of Philadelphia after moving north from South Carolina as a teenager.

His signature cowboy hat sat atop the casket, which was adorned by bouquets of flowers and a folded American flag.

The advertisement for his iconic 1971 victory over longtime adversary Muhammad Ali, billed "The Fight of the Century," stood to the left.

A nod to boxing's storied past, the poster told fans there would be "No home TV" for the fight, and the only way to witness "The Greatest Event in Sports History" was on closed-circuit television.

An estimated 300 million tuned in as Frazier knocked down Ali in the final round before dealing Ali his first career loss by a unanimous decision.

After paying his respects to Frazier shortly after 2 p.m., Mayor Nutter recalled listening on the radio to Frazier's win while he was in the eighth grade.

"I certainly had an appreciation for Muhammad Ali, but Joe Frazier was my guy," Nutter said. "I'll never forget the announcer when Frazier knocked Ali down. . . . These were more than matches; these were great contests."

Nutter said the city is working with Frazier's family to build a "long-lasting memorial." He said it wasn't the appropriate time to discuss specifics or whether the memorial would be a statue, although he said Frazier certainly is worthy.

"When the appropriate time comes, I'll be in a better position to talk about what I think - both as a fan and as a leader of this city - how we should recognize someone who gave so much. Not just to sport, but was a good and decent human being and a great representative for this city."

The inspiration for Sylvester Stallone's Rocky character, former heavyweight Chuck Wepner, paid his respects as well. He said he sparred with Frazier and would never forget the feeling of his unforgiving left hook.

"I was throwing some right hands, and he kept slipping and hitting me to the side and coming back to the head," Wepner recalled. "After the first round, I stopped throwing rights."

Wepner, a New Jersey native, famously battled with Ali for 15 rounds in 1975 before losing on a technical knockout.

Wearing a mink coat and a boxing-glove charm around his neck, Lloyd Parks posed for a photo next to Frazier's casket. That was not unusual throughout the day.

Parks was a member of Philadelphia's famed R&B group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes in the 1970s.

At Frazier's 50th birthday party in 1994, Parks said, the group performed during a star-studded gala at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

Frazier, who at one point had a recording contract with Capitol Records, joined the Blue Notes on stage for a few songs.

"It was great," Parks said. "It was an honor to do that. A big pleasure to work with Joe - everyone was there."