PHILLY BOXING HISTORY                                                                           August 11, 2010

  

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GIARDELLO STATUE COMPLETE
MOLD UNDERWAY, BRONZE CASTING NEXT

The statue of Joey Giardello has been completed by artist Carl LeVotch. His labor of love, sculpted in clay, has been enveloped in the rubber that will become the mold, from which the final bronze figure will emerge.

The project was turned over to Laran Bronze Studios three weeks ago for this next-to-last-stage of the process. Master mold-maker Ernesto Ramos set up camp at the makeshift studio atop the Veteran Boxers Club in Port Richmond in July, and began the process of creating a giant latex mold of LeVotch's work.

It took about two weeks, coat by coat, to cover the enormous figure. Just as dramatically as the image of Giardello had emerged over the past year as LeVotch worked, that same image of the former champ quickly disappeared under the heavy layers of latex. Still, the shape and impact of the statue remain, but the incredible detail of the old champ's face are merely a memory - for now.

Currently, Ramos is building a plaster outer mother mold that will hold the latex in place. That step should be completed in the next week. After that, the mold will be cut away and transported to the Laran Bronze Foundry in Chester, PA for the final stage - the bronze casting.

Stay tuned for updates on that stage over the next weeks.

The dedication date for the final work has not yet been set. However, we expect to place the bronze on Passyunk Avenue in late October or early November.

However, the project still needs some funds to complete the venture. So, it's not too late to get involved and help make this exciting effort a reality. Find out how you can become a part of it at www.joeygiardello.net.

   
 

 

 
 


John DiSanto - News & Notes - August 11, 2010
 

 
     
 

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