Rocky made way. Joe Frazier takes center stage in Philly

Rocky made way. Joe Frazier takes center stage in Philly

The Joe Frazier statue that's stood in South Philly for more than a decade has landed at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's steps.

Why it matters: "Smokin' Joe" is getting one of the city's most prominent public stages, taking over the site once occupied by Philly's Rocky statue.

The big picture: The addition to the art museum footprint — joining a loaned Rocky statue at the top of the steps — caps a yearslong battle to spotlight Philly's adopted son and heavyweight champion of the world.

  • The competing Rocky-Frazier narratives have duked it out among their supporters in Philly for decades.
  • Frazier, an African American, is Philly's top real-life boxer: An Olympic gold medalist who improbably rose to the sport's pantheon of fighters. He also trained in the city and on the art museum steps.
  • But it is Rocky Balboa — a white, fictional boxer — who has become the city's most recognizable fighter, synonymous with Philly's underdog spirit and grit.

    • What they're saying: "We will forever remember that the city got right what it had got wrong for a long, long time," Mayor Cherelle Parker said Monday at the unveiling, noting Frazier's story helped to inspire Sylvester Stallone's character.

  • "If you never thought that telling the truth about history has mattered — so many people wouldn't be trying to stop us from documenting [it] in a very formal way," Parker said, referring to Frazier's story.

    • The intrigue: Whether the so-called Rocky steps will become known as the Rocky-Fraizer steps.

  • The city's original Rocky statue — which was featured in "Rocky III" and is part of an exhibit inside the museum — will be relocated to the top of the steps in the fall.

    • Zoom out: The Frazier relocation comes as the city works to diversify its public art.

  • That includes the Octavius Catto Memorial outside City Hall and forthcoming statues of Harriet Tubman and Sadie Alexander.

    • 1 cool thing: The Rocky Shop at the base of the art museum steps is selling Frazier merch, including T-shirts ($34), hats ($35) and a replica championship belt ($285).

    Joe Frazier merch at the Rocky Shop. Photo: Mike D'Onofrio/Axios