Traynham: HE WAS AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST
WHO WENT ON TO WIN THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY.
THAT WAS IN MARCH OF 1971,
WHEN JOE FRAZIER DEFEATED MUHAMMAD ALI
IN A UNANIMOUS DECISION.
AFTER RETIRING FROM BOXING,
FRAZIER CONTINUED TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
UNTIL HE DIED, UNFORTUNATELY, IN 2011.
FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, THERE'S BEEN AN EFFORT
TO ESTABLISH A PERMANENT TRIBUTE TO JOE FRAZIER.
HELLO, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO "COMCAST NEWSMAKERS".
I'M ROBERT TRAYNHAM,
AND JOINING ME ARE JOE HAND JR. AND JOE HAND SR.
THEY ARE PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN, RESPECTIVELY,
OF JOE HAND PROMOTIONS.
WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM. IT'S GOOD TO SEE BOTH OF YOU.
Hand Sr.: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Hand Jr.: THANK YOU.
Traynham: JOE HAND SR., I WANT TO START OFF WITH YOU.
AS I MENTIONED A FEW MOMENTS AGO,
MR. FRAZIER WAS AND IS AN ICON IN THE SPORTS COMMUNITY.
YOU WORKED WITH HIM VERY CLOSELY.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
Hand Sr.: WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE OLYMPICS,
HE WAS GOING TO BE MANAGED
BY A GROUP OF VERY PROMINENT BUSINESSMEN.
I WROTE A LETTER AND ASKED IF I COULD JOIN THE GROUP.
AND I WAS A PHILADELPHIA POLICEMAN AT THE TIME.
I HAD TO BUY A SHARE OF STOCK. IT WAS WORTH $250.
I HAD TO GO TO THE CREDIT UNION AND BORROW THE MONEY,
BUT THEY ALLOWED ME TO JOIN THE GROUP.
AND I WAS THE GO-TO GUY FOR JOE FRAZIER.
I WAS WITH HIM ALL THE TIME.
AND I SAW HIM RIGHT UP TO WHEN HE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
AND THEREAFTER, WE WERE STILL CELEBRATING HIS BIRTHDAY.
AND I WAS A SPEAKER AT ONE OF THE AFFAIRS.
AND I PROMISED THE PEOPLE OF PHILADELPHIA
AND FRAZIER'S FAMILY AND MY OWN FAMILY
THAT I WOULD BUILD A STATUE FOR JOE FRAZIER.
WHEN YOU LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA,
YOU'RE USED TO THE "ROCKY" STATUE.
I WANTED TO BUILD IT TO A GUY
THAT REALLY DESERVED IT -- A TRUE CHAMPION.
Traynham: WELL, TO THAT POINT, AND FOR THE BENEFIT
OF OUR VIEWERS THAT ARE WATCHING THIS PROGRAM,
EITHER AT HOME OR ON THEIR SMART DEVICE,
WE HAVE THE BENEFIT HERE.
ALL THREE OF US ARE FROM PHILADELPHIA.
AND I REMEMBER GROWING UP AND LEARNING ABOUT MR. FRAZIER
AND JUST THE ICONIC STATUS HE WAS,
NOT ONLY TO THE COMMUNITY BUT ALSO ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
JOE HAND JR., TALK TO US ABOUT WHY THE STATUE IS BEING BUILT.
AND ALSO TALK TO US ABOUT,
AS YOUR FATHER MENTIONED A FEW MOMENTS AGO,
HIM GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
Hand Jr.: WELL, I THINK THE STATUE IS BEING BUILT
BECAUSE JOE IS JUST A SO REVERED SPORTS FIGURE IN PHILADELPHIA.
MY DAD OFTEN TELLS THE STORY ABOUT HOW HE ALWAYS BELIEVED
THAT JOE WAS NOT THE MOST TALENTED FIGHTER, BY ANY MEANS,
BUT THERE WAS NOBODY THAT COULD MATCH HIS HEART.
AND THAT SORT OF TALKS TO THE SPIRIT OF PHILADELPHIA.
THAT'S THE KIND OF COMMUNITY PHILADELPHIA IS,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY
THEY ADOPTED JOE AS THE FIGURE THAT HE IS.
SO THE STATUE IS GOING TO GO IN A PERFECT PLACE,
RIGHT DOWN AT THE HEARTBEAT
OF THE PHILADELPHIA SPORTS COMMUNITY.
AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT ALL OF THAT.
Traynham: RIGHT OFF OF SOUTH STREET AND BROAD, RIGHT?
Hand Jr.: 11th AND PATTERSON. Traynham: 11th AND PATTERSON.
AND TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT MORE
ABOUT THE BIG HEART THAT YOU KNEW OF JOE FRAZIER,
IN TERMS OF HOW HE GAVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
JOE HAND SR.?
Hand Sr.: I CAN ALWAYS REMEMBER,
WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE OLYMPICS,
THE UNION LEAGUE IN PHILADELPHIA,
WHICH WAS THE CLUB TO BELONG TO, FOR THE RICH PEOPLE --
THEY WANTED TO KNOW
WOULD HE COME AND SPEAK AT THE FATHER-SON BANQUET.
I SAID, "I'LL TALK TO JOE." I ASKED JOE.
HE HESITATED, AND HE SAID, "SURE, I'LL GO."
I SAID, "WELL, BEFORE YOU GO, I WANT TO LET YOU KNOW
THAT THEY DON'T LET AFRO-AMERICANS JOIN THE CLUB,
CERTAIN RELIGIONS" --
JEWISH PEOPLE COULDN'T BELONG TO THE CLUB --
"AND SO I DON'T KNOW
WHETHER YOU WANT TO GO THERE OR NOT AND SPEAK."
HE SAID, "OH, I WANT TO GO."
HE SAID, "MAYBE WHEN THEY SEE ME AND HEAR ME,
THEN THEY'LL CHANGE THEIR RULES,
AND THEY'LL LET THE OTHER PEOPLE IN."
WELL, 35 YEARS LATER, THEY DID CHANGE THE RULES, BUT --
Traynham: THERE YOU HAVE IT.
Hand Sr.: JOE JUST GAVE EVERYTHING HE HAD
TO ANY PROJECT HE WAS INVOLVED IN.
Traynham: VERY KIND HEART AND A VERY BIG SPIRIT.
WE GOT ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT.
I WANT TO TALK FOR A FEW MOMENTS
ABOUT 12 YEARS AFTER STARTING THE GYM,
YOU ALL HAVE WHAT'S CALLED
THE JOE HAND BOXING GYM AND COMPUTER CENTER.
TALK TO US ABOUT THAT, PLEASE.
Hand Jr.: IT WAS AN IDEA OF MY DAD'S,
BEING A POLICE OFFICER IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA,
AND MY MOTHER ALSO BEING A POLICE OFFICER.
Traynham: OH, YOU MARRIED A POLICE OFFICER?
Hand Sr.: YES, I DID.
Hand Jr.: MY MOM FOR 23 YEARS, MY DAD WAS ONLY FOR 18.
SO I DIDN'T GET AWAY WITH MUCH IN MY HOUSE.
Traynham: I GOT A SNEAKY SUSPICION.
Hand Jr.: BUT I THINK THAT THEY TRIED TO INSTILL IN OUR FAMILY
THAT, "THERE'S GIVERS AND TAKERS IN LIFE,
AND WE WANT TO BE A FAMILY OF GIVERS."
AND THAT REALLY STARTS WITH MY PARENTS.
AND SO MY DAD'S IDEA WAS,
"WE'RE GOING TO START THIS BOXING GYM,
AND WE DON'T EVER CARE IF A PRO FIGHTER EVER COMES OUT OF IT.
WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE THERE FOR --
IT'S GOING TO BE A SAFE HAVEN FOR THE KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY."
AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK WE REALLY PROVIDE NOW.
ESPECIALLY IN PHILADELPHIA, SO MANY AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
ARE GETTING ELIMINATED AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I THINK WHAT WE OFFER IS JUST SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL.
Traynham: VERY GOOD.
AND SPEAKING OF SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL,
THE STATUE UNVEILING, ONCE AGAIN,
IS ON SEPTEMBER 12th OF 2015.
JOE HAND SR., JOE HAND JR., THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR JOINING US, AND KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.
Hand Sr.: THANK YOU. Traynham: AND THANK YOU
FOR JOINING US FOR THIS EDITION OF "COMCAST NEWSMAKERS."
I'M ROBERT TRAYNHAM. HAVE A GREAT DAY, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME. BYE-BYE.