The white shorts worn by the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali during the epic bout "The Thrilla in Manila" against rival Joe Frazier were put up for auction yesterday, Thursday, and are expected to sell for over $6 million. Sotheby's auction house stated that the shorts worn by the late American boxing icon Muhammad Ali in the match that took place in the Philippines in 1975, which ended with his victory, marked the conclusion of a trilogy between the two stars that is perhaps the greatest in boxing history. The auction will continue until April 12.
The auction house noted that the shorts were sold in an auction in 1988 after being retrieved from the storage of Drew "Bundini" Brown, Muhammad Ali’s assistant trainer, following his death, for around $1,000. Since then, the shorts have remained in the auction market, with the last auction occurring in 2012 when they sold for just over $150,000. Under high temperatures in the afternoon heat of the Philippines, the boxing world witnessed a fierce match as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier clashed for the third and final time in their storied rivalry. Ali retained the heavyweight title at that time. After what he considered the toughest fight of his career, Muhammad Ali remarked that it was the closest he ever felt to death.
