The shorts worn by Mohamed Ali during his legendary fight against Joe Frazier in the Philippines in 1975 could sell for several million dollars at Sotheby’s, during a sports auction which also features French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama.
Exhibited from Friday at Sotheby’s premises in New York, the white shorts with black stripes from the Everlast brand, worn by the boxing legend during “Thrilla in Manila”, have already been the subject of five offers, the last of which was $3.8 million.
But Sotheby’s website said Thursday that the reserve price, the minimum amount set by the seller, had not been reached. The auction house gave no information on the identity of the seller or the minimum price.
The sale, which started on March 27, takes place online until April 12.
A year after the poster between Mohamed Ali and Georges Foreman in Kinshasa in 1974, the “beautiful” of Manila between Ali and Frazier, who had won once each against the other, was another great match of the history of boxing.
In the sweltering heat of the Philippines, then under the Marcos dictatorship, Ali won after 14 brutal rounds after Frazier’s trainer threw in the towel.
“It was like death. The closest thing to death,” said the winner.
Mohamed Ali died in 2016, at the age of 74, leaving an immense legacy for sport but also the mark of a tireless campaigner for the rights of African-Americans.
Clothing is the highlight of a sale essentially devoted to sport, a sector in which auction houses like Sotheby’s are investing more and more, hoping to attract a younger clientele.
Sotheby’s has notably partnered with the NBA, the North American professional basketball league, to put on sale jerseys worn during this season.
Among the lots, there are several jerseys of the essential French prodigy of the San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama, such as the outfit he wore during the young talents tournament on the sidelines of the All-Star Game in February, estimated between 80,000 and 120,000 dollars per Sotheby’s, as well as… the contents of his wardrobe, including linen, chair and bottles of water, all estimated between 5,000 and 7,000 dollars.
In November, Sotheby’s had already sold for $762,000, almost ten times more than the initial estimate (80,000 to 120,000), a jersey worn a month earlier by the Frenchman during his very first NBA match.
