The WBC heavyweight championship belt Muhammad Ali won in 1974 is selling at Heritage Auctions.
He was presented with it following his defeat of George Foreman in the legendary Rumble in the Jungle bout in Kinshasa, in what was then Zaire.
 Ali achieved a shock defeat over George Foreman in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle |
The fight was hotly anticipated.
Many believed it was a foregone conclusion.
Foreman was seven years younger than Ali and remained undefeated in his professional career, while Ali had been knocked off his perch by Joe Frazier in 1971.
But Ali stunned the world by putting Foreman down in the eighth round, in what is described as one of the most thrilling fights of all time.
Heritage explains: "The historical significance of the piece, arguably the most significant boxing award ever made available at public auction, is quite simply immeasurable…
"It is a truly priceless artifact of the American experience, and of an American life as consequential as any thus far lived."
It's expected to make upwards of $600,000 when it crosses the block in the Muhammad Ali Platinum Catalog Auction in Dallas on September 10.
The sale will feature items from across Ali's career, from training bags he used as a teenager in the 1950s (valued at more than $10,000) to gloves from his big ticket fights.
The gloves Ali wore in his 1971 fight against Joe Frazier are to sell at Goldin Auctions on August 13.
Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about sports memorabilia auctions.
