Philadelphia's Boxers' Trail gets an upgrade honoring local boxing greats

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Rocky Statue is a tribute to Philadelphia's greatest fictional boxer, but there have been a lot of real life eye of the tigers who have made their mark in the ring.

On Wednesday morning, World Champion Bernard Hopkins and members of Joe Frasiers' family gathered to help officially dedicate "The Boxer's Trail" in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia.

The modern monument is a nod to all the local boxing greats, complete with a new sign at Dauphin and Greenland Drives.

The original gateway at Dauphin and Greenland drives was installed in 2008.

The new-and-improved gateway features custom lettering reading, "Boxers' Trail," with a shadow boxer silhouette and panels honoring four of Philadelphia's boxing legends.

The Boxers' Trail is a 3.8-mile trail with wooded and paved paths that winds through East Fairmount Park and is deeply tied to the city's boxing culture.

Many Philadelphia boxers, including Smokin' Joe Frazier, have used the trail as part of their training regimes

Legend has it that when Muhammad Ali wanted to challenge Joe Frazier, he came to the Boxers' Trail because he knew that's where he would find Frazier.