SPORTING LEGEND THE LATE Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from his 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight boxing title fight against then champion and undefeated George Foreman, was sold at an auction in the US on Sunday night for a whopping $6.18 million.
Jim Irsay, owner of NFL team Indianapolis Colts, bid the highest amount for the iconic WBC belt, which was auctioned off by Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
Ali’s rare drawings sold separately for $1 million at the auction.
Irsay added Ali’s legendary belt to his collection of rock music, American history and pop culture memorabilia that is currently touring the country. As per an Associated Press report, the belt will now be on display at Chicago’s Navy Pier on August 2 and in Indianapolis on September 9.
Irsay tweeted the news on Sunday night: “Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ when he employed his rope-a-dope and defeated George Foreman—-just added to @IrsayCollection
“Just in time for the Aug. 2 show at Chicago’s Navy Pier (and Sept. 9 at Indy). Proud to be the steward!”
Commenting on the sale, Heritage Auctions’ director of sports auctions, Chirs Ivy, was quoted by AP as having stated: “After several hours of watching two bidders go back and forth over this belt, this proved to be a battle worthy of the Rumble itself.”
It is pertinent to mention that the WBC championship belt from Ali and Foreman’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight holds significant historical value as it was one of the most memorable fights in the history of boxing. This was Ali’s first fight since he was forced into exile for refusing the draft for the war in Vietnam. Few believed that Ali would find it tough to face Foreman, who had destroyed Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in his previous fights.
The historic fight was held in the early hours (to suit US TV networks) under steamy conditions of equatorial Africa in the Zairean capital Kinshasa. Ali dominated Foreman and successfully recaptured the heavyweight title and established his legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
The Rumble in the Jungle is considered one of the greatest sporting events of all time. Perhaps more than anything, it should be remembered as the fight that secured Muhammad Ali’s status as arguably the biggest star in the history of sport.
