Joe Frazier's Gym | |
 Joe Frazier's Gym in 2013. | |
| Coordinates | 39.997515, -75.153153 |
|---|---|
| Built | c. 1895 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 13000257 |
| Added to NRHP | 4/30/2013 |
Joe Frazier's Gym was a training facility owned by American professional boxer, Joe Frazier. Frazier trained at the gym while preparing for his 1971 Fight of the Century against Muhammad Ali.
Joe Frazier's Gym stands at 2917 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia. The building was constructed around 1895 and originally served as a window sash and blind warehouse. [1] Several companies, including the Benson Manufacturing Company and the Air Craft Plastics Company, were listed at this address.
The building remained in industrial use until Cloverlay Inc., an investment group that sponsored Joe Frazier, purchased the property for his use in 1968. The gym served as Frazier's training center for his highest-profile fights, including his championship bouts against Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. [1]
Following his 1975 retirement, Frazier purchased the gym from his investors and opened it to the public. For the following 25 years, Frazier trained boxers at the gym, including Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion, Duane Bobick, Bert Cooper, and Olympic medalist Terrance Cauthen. The gym was also open to local inner-city youth. [1]
Frazier, who maintained an apartment above the gym, was forced to sell the building due to debt and back taxes in 2008. [2]
The gym was purchased by Broad Enterprises Group L.L.C. in 2011 and is currently leased to a discount furniture store. [2] [3]
After efforts from preservationists and local politicians, Joe Frazier's Gym was added to the National Register of Historic Places in April 2013. [4]
In April 2018, a portion of Glenwood Avenue near the gym was named "Smokin' Joe Frazier Boulevard". [5]
Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "the Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century and is often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He held the Ring magazine heavyweight title from 1964 to 1970. He was the undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and the WBA and Ring heavyweight champion from 1978 to 1979. In 1999, he was named Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated and the Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC.
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III, billed as the Thrilla in Manila, was the third and final boxing match between undisputed champion Muhammad Ali, and former champion Joe Frazier, for the heavyweight championship of the world. The bout was conceded after fourteen rounds on October 1, 1975, at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines, located in Metro Manila. The venue was temporarily renamed the "Philippine Coliseum" for this match. Ali won by corner retirement (RTD) after Frazier's chief second, Eddie Futch, asked the referee to stop the fight after the 14th round. The contest's name is derived from Ali's rhyming boast that the fight would be "a killa and a thrilla and a chilla, when I get that gorilla in Manila."
Jacqueline "Jacqui" Frazier-Lyde is an American lawyer and former professional boxer. She is the daughter of former world Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier. In January 2000, at the age of 38, Frazier announced that she would begin participating in the sport of women's boxing.
Joseph William Frazier, nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, he was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fighting style and was the first boxer to defeat Muhammad Ali. Frazier won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics as an amateur, held the NYSAC heavyweight title from 1968 to 1973, and was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1970 to 1973.
Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as The Fight of the Century or simply The Fight, was an undisputed heavyweight championship boxing match between WBA, WBC, and The Ring heavyweight champion Joe Frazier and Lineal champion Muhammad Ali, on Monday, March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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Eddie Futch was an American boxing trainer. Among the fighters he trained are Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, and Trevor Berbick, four of the five men to defeat Muhammad Ali. Futch also trained Riddick Bowe and Montell Griffin when they handed future Hall of Fame fighters Evander Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr. their first professional defeats. In Baltimore, Maryland, the Futch Gym boxing gymnasium is named after the trainer. He also trained Ireland’s first ever WBC World Champion, Wayne McCullough. Eddie Futch was married to Eva Marlene Futch from March 21, 1996, until his death. Futch often called her "The love of his life."
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Marvis Frazier is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division.
James Shuler was a U.S. Olympic and professional boxer from Philadelphia known as "Black Gold."
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George Benton was an American boxer and boxing trainer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Jose J. Cantada, better known as "Smokin'" Joe Cantada, was a Filipino TV host, anchor & commentator. He died of lung cancer in March 1992. He distinguished himself with his smooth baritone voice and his flawless use of figures of speech and idioms in calling sports events.
Carlos "Sonny" Dolorico Padilla Jr. is a retired actor and boxing referee and judge from the Philippines. He is best known for refereeing the "Thrilla in Manila" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975.
Muhammad Ali's Training Camp or "Fighter's Heaven" was a compound and training facility in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania built by former professional boxer and heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali. Ali trained in the facility preparing for numerous fights, such as Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, and Thrilla in Manila in 1975.
Muhammad Ali was a boxer who mastered the rope-a-dope fighting technique. He is widely regarded by many boxing commentators and historians as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Boxing magazine The Ring named him number one in a 1998 ranking of greatest heavyweights from all eras. In 1999, The Associated Press voted Ali the number one heavyweight of the 20th century.