by James Slater: He is probably the single most famous fighter ever to have come out of Philadelphia, and now, the city’s boxing gym that bears his name is reportedly up for sale for a price of $2.4 million. “Smokin'” Joe Frazier’s Philly gym is the legendary training facility in question, and according to a news article in The Philadelphia Enquirer, the gym is being advertised with the slogan “a chance to own a piece of history..”
This news comes only a few months after Marvis Frazier, Joe’s son, spoke of his plans to renovate the gym and turn it into a museum and tribute centre to his father and other great fighters from The city of Brotherly Love. In fact, these plans may still go forward. According to the piece in The Enquirer, Joe was considering not only the option of selling his gym, but also of refurbishing the building in a joint venture with a developer. It is not clear whether or not Frazier, now aged 64, was able to find a suitable partner for the refurbishing plan. In any case, the gym is now up far sale and as the advert says, it is indeed a piece of history.
Joe Frazier himself is an absolute living legend, and the gym itself, at over one hundred years old, is almost as famous as the former heavyweight king. Joe’s health has not been great as of late, and maybe this is one of the reason’s he has chosen to sell. Reportedly not exactly rolling in money either, the financial needs of Joe may also be a major factor. It will be sad indeed when Joe no longer owns the gym in Philly, but at least the place will go on if and when a buyer who is into the sport of boxing comes forward.
Apparently, the gym closed over a month ago, and Frazier’s manager, Les Wollf, said at the time this was due to renovations. It now seems as though Joe may have been planning to sell the building back then. Whoever buys the building, it is to be hoped he or she is a genuine boxing person. It would be a crying shame if the gym were purchased and then transformed into something altogether different, with no connection to boxing at all.
The gym deserves to go on in tribute to its legendary owner. “Smokin'” Joe deserves nothing less.