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1957 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) Kentucky Golden Gloves Trophy....
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Sold on Jul 31, 2014 for:
$13,145.00
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Description
The earliest known trophy from the sport's greatest figure!
1957 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) Kentucky Golden Gloves Trophy. It was a petty crime that set into motion the events that would create the most famous pugilist in the long and storied history of boxing. The year was 1954, and a twelve-year old Cassius Clay had left his new red Schwinn bicycle outside the Columbia Auditorium to visit a bazaar inside. Returning to find an empty space where his bike had been, Cassius flew into a tearful rage, and was led to a police officer named Joe Martin in the basement of a nearby boxing gym to file a report. "I'll whup whoever stole it," Cassius reported to the officer through his sobs. Martin suggested that if Cassius wished to do so, he had better come around the gym and learn to fight.Clay quickly became a fixture at the Columbia Street Gym in Louisville, and just as quickly proved himself both naturally gifted and disciplined beyond his years. Only six years after the theft of his Schwinn, Cassius Clay would stand atop the podium at the Rome Summer Games. And less than a decade after that sad afternoon in Louisville, Sonny Liston would fail to answer the bell for the seventh round in Miami Beach, and Clay would be crowned as Heavyweight Champion of the World. This exceptional, one-of-a-kind trophy marks the earliest stage of the legend's climb.
He was just fifteen when he took part in the 1957 Kentucky Golden Gloves Tournament, earning the modest little wood and medal trophy as the tournament's most impressive contestant. An engraved plaque set between a figural boxer and an eagle set to take flight reads, "Golden Gloves Jr. Outstanding Fighter '57." A faded "Cassius Clay" is written on the underside of the base.
For years the trophy was displayed in a glass case at the Columbia Street Gym, and when the facility closed in the 1960's, the awards on site were saved by a gentleman named Dan Devlin, a former amateur fighter and longtime maintenance man at the gym. Included is a letter of provenance from the collector who purchased the trophy from Devlin. The trophy remains is fine condition with one small chip to the wooden base and general handling wear, but nothing that causes any distraction or minimizes the enormous appeal of this earliest known Muhammad Ali boxing trophy. Letter of provenance from Pete Morkovin. Letter of provenance from Craig Hamilton.
More information about Muhammad Ali Sports Player.
Auction Info
2014 July 31 - Aug 1 Sports Collectibles Platinum Night Auction - Cleveland #7115 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
Jul-Aug, 2014
31st-1st
Thursday-Friday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 6
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 9,596
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
19.5% of the successful bid per lot.
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