Muhammad Ali's 'Rumble In The Jungle' belt fetches exorbitant selling price; check details

Muhammad Ali’s WBC world heavyweight championship belt from his ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight against George Foreman in 1974 was sold at an auction on Sunday for a whopping amount of USD 6.18 million. The owner of the American football team Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay bid the highest amount for the iconic WBC belt, which was auctioned off by Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The development was confirmed by Irsay on his official Twitter handle on Sunday. 

Tweeting about the same, Irsay said that he has added Ali’s legendary belt to his collection of rock music, American history and pop culture memorabilia that is currently touring the country. As per a report by The Associated Press, the belt will now be on display at Chicago’s Navy Pier on August 2 and in Indianapolis on September 9.

“BREAKING—-Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ when he employed his rope-a-dope and defeated George Foreman—-just added to @IrsayCollection   Just in time for the Aug. 2 show at Chicago’s Navy Pier (and Sept. 9 at Indy). Proud to be the steward!,” Irsay tweeted on Sunday night.

What else has been said?

As per AP, Heritage Auctions’ director of sports auctions, Chirs Ivy revealed his thoughts about the WBC belt fetching such an amount. “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,” Ivy said in a statement.

More about the Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman 'Rumble in The Jungle' fight

It is pertinent to mention that the WBC championship belt from Ali and Foreman’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ fight holds significant historical value as it was one of the most memorable fights in the history of boxing. This was Ali’s first fight since he was forced into exile for refusing the draft for the war in Vietnam. Few believed that Ali would find it tough to face Foreman, who had destroyed Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in his previous fights.

The fight was scheduled to be held in the steamy darkness of equatorial Africa in Zaire. However, backing up his words Ali dominated Foreman and successfully recaptured the heavyweight title and established his legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time. It would be safe to say that it has been close to fifty years since the fight was fought, but it still lives up to its name. 

(Image: AP)