Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from his 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ heavyweight title fight has been auctioned off for $6.18m (£5.25m).
The winner of the contest for the belt was Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, according to Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
In a tweet on Sunday, Mr Irsay confirmed he acquired the belt for his collection of rock music, American history and pop culture memorabilia which is currently touring the country.
BREAKING—-Muhammad Ali’schampionship belt from 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ when he used his drug rope 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! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/REJOGV1Cwq
—Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) July 24, 2022
The belt will be on display Aug. 2 at Chicago’s Navy Pier and Sept. 9 in Indianapolis.
“Proud to be the steward!” Mr. Irsay tweeted.
“After several hours of watching two bidders back and forth on this belt, this turned out to be a battle worthy of the Rumble itself,” said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage.
The 1974 fight was one of boxing’s most memorable moments.
Ali stopped the fearsome George Foreman to reclaim the heavyweight title in the African nation of Zaire. Ali won the fight by knockout in the eighth round.
