Workers uprooted a statue of fictional fighter Rocky Balboa from its base outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Wednesday and moved it inside, where it'll be the main event of an exhibit celebrating the beloved half-century-old movie "Rocky."
The massive bronze artwork is one of three identical statues, inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s famed “Rocky” franchise, that are spread across Philadelphia and will be among several sports monuments moved this year.
The statue dug up and moved Wednesday is the one used in a famous scene in "Rocky III" when Balboa is confronted by up-and-coming boxer Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T.
Another Rocky statue, owned by Stallone, now stands at the top of Philadelphia Museum of Art steps and can still be visited for free.
That top-step statue is set to be returned to Stallone later this year and will be replaced by the one that was moved Wednesday for "Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments."
In the museum spot where Rocky had stood from 2006 until Wednesday, a statue of famed — and real — boxer "Smokin'" Joe Frazier will be moved from the sports complex in South Philly.
Finally, a third Stallone statue, owned by the city, is staying put at Philadelphia International Airport.
City officials hope the close proximity of the Frazier and Rocky statues can help visitors see a link between the real and fictional fighters.
Frazier, who spent his formative years in Philadelphia, ran up museum steps as part of his training, just like the fictional Balboa.
His statue is often overlooked in the hubbub of fans coming and going to Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles, 76ers and Flyers games.
"Now we're bringing it [Frazier] into conversation, we're bringing it into space where over 4 million people come and visit every year," Philadelphia Public Art Director Marguerite Anglin told NBC News on Thursday.
"We're excited that when visitors come [to the Philadelphia Museum], they will first be greeted by this origin story, the actual, real-life champion [Frazier] who embodied all of the ideals that people kind of relate to, the perseverance, grit, determination and things that we believe embody the Philadelphia spirit,"
Frazier was 67 when he died in 2011.
"Rocky" was released in 1976 and won Oscars for best picture, director (John Avildsen) and film editing (Richard Halsey and Scott Conrad).
It had also gained Oscar nominations for best actor (Stallone), screenplay (Stallone), two for supporting actor (Burgess Meredith and Burt Young), supporting actress (Talia Shire), sound (Harry Warren Tetrick, William McCaughey, Lyle Burbridge and Bud Alper) and original song ("Gonna Fly Now").
In one of the movie's most famous scenes, Stallone's Balboa triumphantly runs up the 72 steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and hoists his arms into the air as he readies for his fight against champion Apollo Creed, played by the late Carl Weathers.
The museum steps are known affectionately as the "Rocky Steps."
