19301

HSC: 1964 Sonny Liston's Mink Gloves Muhammad Ali

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:4,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
HSC: 1964 Sonny Liston's Mink Gloves Muhammad Ali
<B>1964 Sonny Liston's Mink Gloves Created for Ali Fight.</B></I> Though it was his brash young challenger that was making a name for himself as a master showman, the reigning Champ proved he had a bit of the P.T. Barnum spirit himself when he unveiled these mink gloves at a pre-fight press conference with the young fighter who would soon take his belt. Liston, understandably annoyed at Ali's immodest predictions of victory and his referring to the former gangland enforcer as "a big, ugly bear," explained that he would wear these gloves in the February 25, 1964 fight so that he wouldn't mark up Ali's pretty face. The publicity stunt was the lead story in every boxing column nationwide the next day.<BR><BR> Forty years after that playfully menacing press conference, the gloves in question remain in wonderful condition, a flawless display piece. The soft cream-colored fur has come loose at the seams of the glove to a slight degree, but this could easily be restored, though it's hardly even evident unless the gloves are handled. If we lift the fur at a torn seam, we can see the glove's labeling, "Frager," a Chicago sporting good manufacturer. Handwritten markings inside the wrist of the gloves are quite faded, though "Sonny Liston" is clearly legible in the right. Pilling of the fabric here, and the apparent sweat-induced fading of the ink could lead us to a fairly safe conclusion that these gloves saw action on Liston's hands before being retired for use in this memorable stunt.