Famous wrestler Muhammad Ali’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ belt has just sold at an auction for $6.18 million, a shockingly high price.
It was sold to the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay, and it was confirmed on his Twitter yesterday.
Irsay has been a long time fan of the wrestler, as shown by his extensive collection of Ali’s merchandise. He proudly owns the 1965 walkout robe that held Ali’s title on it alongside the shoes used by Ali during the historic 1975 ‘Thrilla in Manilla’ fight.
Ali won the belt back in 1974 when he beat George Foreman during a battle in Kinshasa, Zaire. Zaire is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He utilized his widely famous rope-a-dope move to win the game, giving him the title of victor and the prize belt.
The fight was especially huge as it was his return to the world of boxing after he was stripped of his competitive license and title under the World Boxing Association due to his refusal to serve in Vietnam back in 1967.
It then entered the public sphere in 1988 when the contents held in Ali’s former coach Drew Brown’s lockers were sold at an auction.
It’s an especially rare item as it’s only one of the two WBC belts owned by Ali, while the other one is still in a private collection and not up for auction. That would explain why it’s the highest price ever paid for a sports-related item at a Heritage Auction.
“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,” said Heritage’s Director of Sports Auction, Chris Ivy.
“We’re just thrilled this extraordinary piece of boxing history — of sports history, of cultural history — found such an exceptional caretaker who will now share it with the rest of the world,” Ivy added.
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