The iconic Joe Frazier statue is officially on the move.
Crews on Wednesday, June 23, removed the statue of the boxing legend from its longtime home outside Stateside Live! in South Philadelphia, where it has stood for the past 10 years.
The statue of “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier is being relocated to the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps, where the Rock Statue formally stood.
Officials said the monument will be in one of Philadelphia’s most visited cultural destinations.
It is scheduled to be unveiled at its new location the morning of Monday, June 29.
Frazier’s daughter, Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde; Stephen Layne, who created the Frazier sculpture; Mayor Cherelle Parker; and other city officials are expected to attend the grand reveal.
Frazier was born January 12, 1944, in Beaufort, South Carolina, but would later live and train in Philadelphia, where he operated his own boxing gym in his later years.
The Hall of Famer won the Olympic gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Games. He then turned pro in 1965.
Frazier was the first man to beat Muhammad Ali, knocking him down and taking a decision in the so-called Fight of the Century in 1971. He would then go on to lose two more fights to Ali, including the epic 1975 “Thrilla in Manila.”
Frazier passed away on November 7, 2011, at the age of 67, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after a brief battle with liver cancer.