The boxing gloves worn by American legend Muhammad Ali when he won his first Heavyweight Championship title have reportedly gone under the hammer for an estimated 302,000 pounds at Heritage Auctions in New York.
Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, wore the gloves when he stepped into the ring against compatriot Sonny Liston, who was then the sport”s most intimidating and powerful fighter, in February 1964 in a match, which was one of the most anticipated in boxing history.
According to the Daily Star, a day after the match, Clay changed his name to Cassius X before being dubbed Muhammad Ali a week later for religious reasons following his conversion to Islam. The report mentioned that the gloves went into the possession of Ali”s famous trainer Angelo Dundee where they remained until his death in February 2012.
Confirming the gloves” famous ownership, Chris Ivy, director of sports collectibles at Heritage, said that after the fight Dundee used scissors to cut Ali”s hands free from the gloves and kept them in his private collection till his death. The auction is on February 25, three days after the 50th anniversary of the fight. Ali remains one of the most iconic figures in sporting history not only for his incredible skills in the ring but also for the values he demonstrated outside of it, the report added. (ANI)
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