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 Heritage Auctions said on Friday that the auction will
include the trunks Ali wore for his "Rumble in the Jungle"
victory over George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. The gloves worn by
Sonny Liston when he lost his title to Ali in 1964 are also
among 79 lots in the Sept. 10 auction.
Ali's 1964 letter to Life magazine, in which he talks about his
conversion to Islam and changing his Cassius Clay birth name, is
expected to fetch upwards of $100,000, the Dallas-based auction
house said.
The one-time Christian Baptist became the most famous convert to
Islam in American history when he announced he had joined the
Black Muslim movement under the guidance of Malcolm X.
Kathleen Guzman, managing director of Heritage Auctions, said
the Feb. 18, 1964 letter followed an interview the boxer had
done the same day with Life magazine announcing he was changing
his name.
"The editors, especially Jack McDermott, were worried that he
would disavow saying that when the actual Life magazine article
came out. So he ripped off a piece of paper and had him (Ali)
sign an affidavit that said clearly he was changing his name,"
Guzman said.
Heritage said the World Boxing Council belt is the first of
those won by the three-time world heavyweight champion to come
to auction, and is expected to sell for some $600,000.
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Ali's death on June 4 at age 74, after a long battle with
Parkinson's disease, prompted an outpouring of grief and tributes
worldwide, culminating in an elaborate public funeral in his
Louisville, Kentucky hometown.
"With the recent passing of Muhammad Ali, we have received telephone
calls from collectors all over the world seeking important pieces
from his life and career,” said Chris Ivy, director of Heritage
Sports Collectibles.
Heritage Auctions said most of the items came from collectors, with
nothing coming from Ali's family, who have a number of significant
artifacts in their keeping.
Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle" trunks are expected to sell for
$150,000, and Sonny Liston's gloves have an estimated sale price of
$100,000, Heritage said.
Earlier this month, Ali’s fight-worn boxing gloves from his famed
1971 encounter with Joe Frazier sold for $606,000 at a different
auction house.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Reuters Television; Editing by Tom
Brown)
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