PHILADELPHIA (AP) β For many Philadelphia tourists, the Rocky statue is a must-see β even if it is a movie prop depicting a fictional boxer.
Could a sculpture of real-life heavyweight champion Joe Frazier draw as many admirers?
Artist Stephen Layne is finishing up a 9-foot-tall clay version of “Smokin’ Joe,” which captures Philly’s hometown hero in mid-punch. Frazier beat Muhammad Ali for the title in 1971.
The effort to memorialize Frazier was almost knocked out by fundraising problems and the death of the original sculptor.
Plans now call for the statue to be cast in bronze in the coming months. It’s expected to be installed near the city’s sports stadiums next spring.
Frazier died of liver cancer in 2011. He was 67 years old.
