Tendulkar’s bat and ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ souvenir go on sale
A HOARD of 300 items of celebrity sporting memorabilia spanning the last 100 years will go under the hammer next month.
The lots include a cricket bat signed by the Indian international Sachin Tendulkar, which auctioneers expect to fetch up to £14,000.
The bat, from Tendulkar’s own collection, is one he had presented after his 199th test to his son’s sports coach.
An original programme for the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire, between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, is expected to fetch up to £1,000 at the auction.
The bout, perhaps the most famous in boxing history, attracted a crowd of 60,000 to the Stade du 20 Mai in Kinshasa. President Mobutu put up $10m to take the fight there, to “put the country on the map”.
In an early example of satellite transmission, it was screened in more than 100 countries.
Ali took heavy punishment from Foreman before unleashing a stunning combination attack in the eighth round to floor his opponent and win back the world heavyweight title at the age of 32.
Several pairs of boxing gloves – one from Luis Ángel Firpo dated 1923, the same year as his fight against Jack Dempsey – are also in the auction, which will be conducted by Julien’s at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe.
The firm’s president, Darren Julien, said: “This area of celebrity sports memorabilia is one of the fastest growing areas of alternative investment collectables.
“Their value just keeps on growing.”