Once again, Muhammad Ali is making waves in the world of boxing, but this time his impact is being felt in the realm of auctioneering.
The legendary figure known as ‘The Greatest’ tragically departed from this world on June 3, 2016, at the age of 74. He gained global recognition through his extraordinary prowess in the boxing arena and his exceptional eloquence beyond it.
Joe Frazier, the recipient of numerous verbal jabs from Ali, endured a memorable trilogy of fights with him from 1971 to 1975. Their last encounter on October 1 in the Philippines pushed both fighters to their limits in the boxing ring.
Ali emerged victorious over his greatest rival, Frazier, after enduring 14 grueling rounds in the scorching heat of the Philippines. Frazier’s eyes were swollen shut, prompting his trainer Eddie Futch to withdraw him from the fight. This marked Ali’s second consecutive triumph over Frazier, following their historic clash in “The Fight of the Century” on March 8, 1971, where Frazier had famously emerged victorious.
(Revised Caption) Ali lands a powerful right hook on Joe Frazier in the 7th round. Ali ultimately secures a TKO victory in the 14th round.
The trunks worn by Ali during one of the most brutal boxing matches ever, which took place forty-nine years ago, are currently being auctioned.
At Sotheby’s in New York City, the Everlast white trunks with black trim, adorned with Ali’s autographed signature, have the potential to sell for an astonishing $6 million. The lot will be open for bidding until April 12, and the current highest bid stands at $3.8 million.
Drew “Bundini” Brown, a notorious member of Ali’s training team, had ownership of the trunks before they were found in a storage unit registered under his name. Following his demise, the unpaid storage unit was sold in April 1988. These trunks later came into possession of foot specialist and surgeon Andrew Heller, who eventually sold them through Sotheby’s in 2002. Subsequently, the trunks were auctioned twice in 2012.
