Feting Fight of the Century

Two of Frazier's sons and one daughter were among the family members that attended the unveiling of the statue that stands inside the gym's window and is visible from the street.

"I want you to see the statue and I want you to think of Joe Frazier and Ali, not for where they just were, but where they came from," Frazier Jr. said."They came from work and dedication."

Patricia Hand, who worked for a law firm that represented Frazier, typed the contract for the fight and recalled mingling with the A-list celebrities and politicians who all wanted a seat that night at Madison Square Garden.

"I can't believe 50 years later it has this interest," she said.

She was the only woman allowed at a lunch at famed New York sports bar Toot's Shor after the contract signing and sat next to Frank Gifford. Hand even recalled one hiccup when Ali hugged Frazier after they signed the deal.

"Frazier stood with his hands to his side and the back of his jacket split," she said. "He took great care in how he looked that day and they had to send somebody from Madison Square Garden out to get him a jacket."

His win over Ali was played on a loop at Joe Hand Gym, and one of the few remaining original promotional banners－its corners frayed by time－was raised at a ceremony where Frazier seemed Smokin' one more time.

"It just means so much just to see the accolades, the admiration, how much people revere not just Ali, but my father," Frazier Jr. said. "They both have a story. We loved Ali just as much as we love Frazier. At the end of the day, this was the one my father was victorious in."

The mural is emblazoned with one of Frazier's favorite sayings:"There is no right way to do wrong and there is no wrong way to do right."

Frazier already has a statue at an entertainment complex near Philadelphia's three sports stadiums and the now-demolished Spectrum, an arena where he fought. Frazier, who died Nov 7, 2011 after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, spent much of his life in his adopted hometown fighting until the end to earn respect as one of the city's sports greats.

"He just represents what Philadelphia is all about," Frazier Jr. said. "Work hard. It's not all about talking with your mouth. It's speaking with your action. That's what it's about."

AP