Muhammad Ali shorts worn in famous fight to be sold for $6 mln

NEW YORK

A pair of boxing shorts worn by the great Muhammad Ali in his famous Thrilla in Manila fight are set to be auctioned off for an eye-watering $6million.

Ali's silk Everlast shorts, which are pure white except for a black belt line and black racing stripes on each leg, are autographed by the boxing legend himself and remain in excellent condition.

The fight remains the most iconic bout in the history of boxing, with Ali, also known as Cassius Clay, taking on Joe Frazier in the third and final boxing match between the pair to decide who would be heavyweight champion of the world back in 1975.

Ali, widely recognized as the greatest boxer in history, won the gruelling 14-round fight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines capital after the referee stopped the fight after 42 minutes of action in sweltering temperatures.

Despite the weariness of Ali and Frazier in the fight, with both fighters suffering gruesome swelling on their faces, the shorts actually have been preserved in pristine condition.

They are now set to be sold to the highest bidder, with New York-based auctioneer Sotheby's expecting the item to sell for up to $6m.

Ali, who went on to box for six more years before retiring, died at the age of 74 in 2016 after a long battle against Parkinson's disease.

It still some way off the record sale of sports memorabilia, with a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle baseball card selling for a whopping $12.6 million. The mint condition card of the Hall of Famer sold at auction in August 2022 for more than double the prior record price.

Michael Jordan's 1998 NBA Finals jersey for the Chicago Bulls is the only other sportswear to reach eight figures, fetching $10.1m at a Sotheby's auction in 2022. In the same year, Diego Maradona's jersey from the infamous 'Hand of God' incident in the World Cup sold for $9.3m - some two years after the Argentina icon passed away.