Still the heavyweight champion of Philadelphia
Just over two months ago, Philadelphia’s North Broad St, the centre of that town’s blue-collar boxing spirit, lost The Blue Horizon, a 1,500-seat sweatbox through which so many fighters passed on the way to notoriety or greatness: ‘Gypsy’ Joe Harris, George Benton, Bobby ‘Boogaloo’ Watts, famous for taking down Marvin Hagler, Bernard Hopkins, Sugar Ray Leonard, Matthew Saad Muhammad and Meldrick Taylor.
Progress gobbled up boxing’s favourite venue during a year that had begun sadly with the death of another Philly legend, ‘Bad’ Bennie Briscoe. Little did they know that another giant of Broad St, Smokin’ Joe Frazier, would join him before winter’s deathly grip.
