Ali ‘split’ glove could sell for £500,000
A SPLIT boxing glove believed to be from Muhammad Ali’s legendary 1963 fight with British hero Henry Cooper is up for sale – at a knockout £500,000. Auctioneer Stuart Bull believes the item – signed by Cooper – is the one that has gone down in boxing history. A tear was allegedly made to buy time for Ali – then known as Cassius Clay – after he had been floored by a left hook.
Thrilled
His trainer Angelo Dundee is said to have widened the split to give his man more time to recover. Ali eventually won the fight. A pair of gloves featuring a split and said to be from the fight were sold by Christie’s to an advertising executive for £37,600 in 2001. They later featured in an Ali exhibition.
But Stuart Bull, 53, of Chard Auctions in Somerset, is selling a glove signed by Cooper.
He has set a guide price of £300,000 to £500,000. He said: “I’m so excited about this sale.
“When I saw the pictures of the glove and all the evidence of its provenance it blew me away.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that I’ve been chosen to promote this and to sell it on.”
The glove is being kept at a secret location and will be auctioned on June 18 – the 61st anniversary of the fight, which took place at Wembley Stadium.
Stuart believes the glove was returned to makers Baily’s, based in Glastonbury, after the fight.
He said it remained there until the late managing director Richard Mayers gave it to his partner. Her son, Simon Hawkins, 54, from Seaton, Devon, is now selling it.
A handwritten letter from Richard to his partner said: “I declare this glove to be genuine. I’ve always been aware of it’s significance, safety, and provenance.”
Christie’s declined to comment on the sale of the glove.