Muhammad Ali‘s 1974″Rumble in the Jungle” belt has a new owner, and that owner paid $6.18 million.
Jim Irsay already has an NFL team on his hands, so why not add a legendary historical belt. Irsay confirmed on Twitter of the news.
“Proud to be the steward!” he tweeted Sunday.
Irsay adds the belt to the Irsay Collection, which is having a showcase on August 2 at Chicago Navy’s Pier and on September 9 in Indianapolis.
Ali won the WBC heavyweight championship belt in a victory versus George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire. He actually performed the iconic “rope-a-dope” move for the first time during the match.
The highly-anticipated match marked Ali’s return to competitive boxing after revoking his license and World Boxing Association title for refusing induction into the US Armed Forces to fight in Vietnam.
The bid for the belt finally came to a close, with Irsay winning after several hours of “back and forth,” according to Chris Ivy, Heritage’s Director of Sports Auctions.
“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,” he added.
Irsay is a big fan of Ali and already owns several pieces from the boxer’s career, including a 1965 walkout robe and his shoes from 1975 ‘Thrilla in Manila.’
