The boxing gloves Muhammad Ali wore when he won the world heavyweight championship for the first time sold at auction for $836,500 (£502,000) on Saturday night.
The Heritage Auction took place almost 50 years to the day, February 25, 1964, after Ali - then known as Cassius Clay - shook the world by stopping Sonny Liston, who quit on his stool after the sixth round in Miami Beach, Florida.
The final price of the auctioned gloves included a 19.5 per cent buyer's premium.
"These are the very gloves that Ali wore when he claimed his first heavyweight championship 50 years ago and, given the attention these received from media and fans all over the world, and the spectacular price they achieved, it's clear that Ali is just as loved and respected today as he's ever been," said Chris Ivy, director of sports collectibles at Heritage Auctions.
It was after that fight that Ali uttered two of his most famous quotes: "I am the greatest!" and "I shook up the world!"
The buyer of the gloves wished to remain anonymous.
"Only Jackie Robinson could compete with Ali for the title of most influential figure in American sports history," Ivy said. "But not even Robinson can compete with Ali in terms of being beloved internationally. Ali is a figure that transcends boxing or America. He belongs to the entire world."
The gloves were originally part of the estate of the late Hall of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee, Ali's longtime chief second.
After Dundee died in 2012, his son, Jim, put up much of his father's collection of boxing memorabilia for auction to help pay family medical bills. He also promised to donate a portion of the proceeds to the Muhammad Ali Foundation. The gloves, the highlight of the initial auction, sold for $385,848 in December 2012.
No comments:
Post a Comment