Sports
Meet Fredia Gibbs, The Chester, Pennsylvania, Kickboxing Champion Dubbed The "Female Rocky"
"Why am I crying?" Gibbs said as she saw the statue. "Because it's home, that's why! Right where it belongs."
November 7, 2025
The beat of the drums echoed outside Chester City Hall as retired professional athlete Fredia Gibbs returned home to be celebrated for making history as the first Black woman to win a world kickboxing title.
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"It takes a village to build a champion and Chester is my village," Gibbs said. "They built me. Chester made me who I am today."
On Thursday, the city gave Gibbs a hero's welcome, complete with a bronze statue dedicated to her legacy. Originally displayed at her alma mater, Cabrini University, the statue now has a permanent home in Chester, the place where her journey began.
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