Philadelphia's iconic Rocky statue faces a real contender as a nine-foot statue of the late heavywei скачать в хорошем качестве

Philadelphia's iconic Rocky statue faces a real contender as a nine-foot statue of the late heavywei

(2 Sep 2014) VOICE-OVER: THE ROCKY STATUE IS ONE OF PHILADELPHIA'S BIGGEST TOURIST ATTRACTIONS... BUT THE FICTIONAL FIGHTER IS ABOUT TO FACE A NEW CHALLENGER, IN THE FORM OF A STATUE HONORING THE LATE BOXING CHAMP SMOKIN' JOE FRAZIER. SOUNDBITE (English) Robin Hazel, tourist from Ottawa, Canada: "I think it would be much, much bigger than Rocky. Rocky is great, it's a movie. But Joe Frazier's real. And he's Philadelphia." ARTIST STEPHEN LAYNE IS PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON A 9-FOOT-TALL CLAY VERSION OF THE MAN WHO FAMOUSLY OUTSLUGGED MUHAMMED ALI TO WIN THE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE IN 1971. THE STATUE CAPTURES FRAZIER IN MID-PUNCH, REFLECTING THE PERSONALITY OF THE FIGHTER AND THE CITY HE CALLED HOME. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Layne, Sculptor: "He's right in the thick of the work of what he's doing. And at the same time, it's a moment of achievement for him. That pose of glory of the Rocky pose, I don't think that's quite the vibe of Philadelphia." FRAZIER, WHO WAS ALSO AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST, DIED OF LIVER CANCER THREE YEARS AGO AT THE AGE OF 67. EFFORTS TO IMMORTALIZE THE HOMETOWN HERO TOOK A FEW BLOWS, INCLUDING FUNDRAISING PROBLEMS AND THE DEATH OF THE ORIGINAL SCULPTOR. BUT NOW THE PROJECT IS BACK ON TRACK. SOUNDBITE (English) Bernard Hopkins, Light Heavyweight Champ: "I think it's good to honor him that way, and then find other good ways to honor Joe as time moves on." SO MOVE OVER, ROCKY BALBOA. SOUNDBITE (English) Arnaud du Croix, tourist from the Netherlands: "It's a bit silly to have a statue of someone that was never a professional boxer. They should have a statue of a great boxer - of Joe Frazier." THE FRAZIER STATUE IS SLATED TO BE CAST IN BRONZE, AND INSTALLED NEAR THE PHILADELPHIA SPORTS STADIUMS NEXT SPRING. HANNAH BUCHDAHL, ASSOCIATED PRESS Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...