If the gym on North Broad Street continues to deteriorate to the point where it is deemed “imminently dangerous,” the City of Philadelphia can step in and tear it down — despite its landmark status.
Rodney Frazier , nephew of boxer Joe Frazier, with former fighters Kevin Dublin Jr. and Kevin Dublin at the former site of Joe Frazier's gym in North Philadelphia.Joe Frazier was a fixer, and he loved nothing more than fixing his gym. It was a sturdy, three-story building near Broad and Glenwood. When he was not training boxers, the former heavyweight champion — universally known as Smokin’ Joe — could be found on his hands and knees, pulling weeds from the grass.
Like many of Frazier’s former boxers, Dublin never thought the gym could get to this point. In 2013, it was added to the national and local historic registries. This dual listing was supposed to preventIn 2022, a new company, Broad St Holdings LLC, acquired the gym for $850,000. It has since failed three straight city inspections, from September 2023 to June 2024. Not one has been addressed.
Under Durham’s tutelage, Frazier became one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He won the Olympic heavyweight title in 1964, and the world heavyweight title in 1970. His three fights against Muhammad Ali — the, Super Fight II, and the Thrilla in Manila — were international spectacles. Smokin’ Joe finished his career with 32 wins, four losses, and one draw with 27 knockouts.. He had money, and fame, but wanted to give back.
Frazier went looking for him. He found the young boxer at 13th and Cambria one night, and asked why he hadn’t been to the gym. Dublin was arrested in 1986 and went to prison for 40 months. While he was gone, Frazier helped take care of Dublin’s children. He’d give them money and send his nephews Rodney and Tyrone to visit.
Dixon described his neighborhood as “rough,” with a lot of gang violence. Those gangs would often try to recruit him to their side. But once Dixon began working with Frazier, all of that stopped. One day, when Denning was hitting a heavy bag, he looked to his left to find Frazier 50 feet away. They had a talk. Frazier told him he had a choice about how he wanted to live his life.
Slone, Denning, Dixon, and other boxers who spent the night would go running at 5 a.m. North Philadelphia was not the safest place for a group of teenagers to be at that hour, so Frazier would drive behind them in his white Cadillac, with his windows rolled down, as he played Bobby Womack on the stereo.
He never lived to see his likeness on a statue, or his name on a street sign, or any other grand gesture from the place that shaped him. That bothered his family and friends.
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