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Boxing

23rd Feb 2015

Muhammad Ali’s “phantom punch” gloves sold for astronomical fee at auction

Fat stacks

Ben Kiely

It’s rare that that you come across a pair of boxing gloves that are worth more than average Joe’s house

The boxing gloves worn by Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston during their 1965 bout were auctioned off for a whopping sum at an auction at the weekend.

The legendary pugilists  sported them during their controversial Heavyweight Championship rematch that was memorable for a few reasons.The contest marked the first time that Ali fought since changing his name from Cassius Clay. However, it was also mired in controversy because of the way the bout ended.

Liston went down in a heap in the first round, despite spectators claiming that the heavyweight took a dive. Ali was awarded the knockout victory in one of the shortest heavyweight bouts in the history of the sport.

An anonymous collector nabbed the two pairs of gloves for the ludicrously high price of $956,000, which is roughly €846,000.

Hat-tip to NY Daily News