The World Boxing Council (WBC) presented two commemorative championship belts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in connection with the exhibition "Rising Up: Rocky and the Making of Monuments," which marks the 50th anniversary of the film "Rocky." On April 23, 2026, Rasheen Farlow of the WBC gave a belt to the family of Joe Frazier, accepted by his daughter Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde. The following evening, a second belt was presented to the exhibition itself, accepted by guest curator Paul Farber. The belts honor boxing figures Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, and Jose Sulaiman, and one also features the film character Rocky.
This event matters because it bridges the worlds of sports and visual art, recognizing boxing as a cultural and artistic force. The exhibition brings the iconic Rocky statue inside the museum for the first time, exploring how monuments and popular culture shape identity. The WBC's involvement underscores the global significance of boxing and its intersection with public art, while the belts become permanent artifacts within the museum's collection, cementing the exhibition's historical importance.