“In the red corner, weighing 224-and-a-half pounds, wearing white trunks with black stripes, from Louisville, Kentucky, USA, the heavyweight champion of the world, Muhammad Ali.”
With those words, ring announcer Joe Cantada introduced boxing legend Muhammad Ali at the 1975 “Thrilla in Manila” match against Joe Frazier. Now, ~50 years later, those white trunks with the black stripes are on the auction block — for almost $4 million.
“Thrilla in Manila” was the third and final match between Ali and his rival Frazier, with Ali defending his heavyweight title by defeating Frazier in 14 rounds. The shorts, produced by boxing equipment company Everlast, now feature Ali’s signature and info about the match.
The auction for Ali’s shorts closes this Friday, and the final bid is expected to be $4-6 million. If they go for more than $5 million, they would be one of the most expensive pieces of sports memorabilia ever.
