The Tale of Two Statues: Rocky Balboa, Smokin Joe Frazier and the Future of Philadelphia Boxing
From WHYY Digital Studios, we explore the real life inspiration behind the legend of Rocky: Joe “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier. Joe Frazier should be a household name–he put in work in the Philly boxing community; trained by punching meat, running up the art museum steps, and was the first to defeat Muhammad Ali. Although his boxing gym sits vacant in North Philly, there are still boxers who carry on Frazier’s legacy, including local legend Maleek Jackson.
Want to learn more about the Rocky Statue, Philadelphia, boxing and monuments?
Check out our podcast, The Statue, part of the NPR Podcast Network:
https://link.chtbl.com/0ozNBj6P
"In a moment of reckoning and reimagining for monuments, why do millions of people each year from around the world visit Philly’s Rocky Statue? What does a statue celebrating a fictional boxer tell us about how we memorialize some stories over others? Monument Lab's Paul Farber dives deep into the story of the statue to the greatest Philadelphian who never lived."
00:00 - 00:30 Intro
00:31 - 02:10 The Pilgrimage
02:11 - 03:42 Smokin Joe
03:43 - 06:15 Heirs to the Throne
06:16 - 07:56 Modern Monuments
Supporting links:
https://whyy.org/programs/the-statue/
https://monumentlab.com/
https://www.thelegacyexists.com/
https://www.joefrazier.com/
https://www.maleekjacksonfitness.com/
https://www.maleekjacksonfitness.com/...
https://guides.temple.edu/blocksoncol...