Muhammad Ali's 'infamous' boxing glove put up for sale

Muhammad Ali's iconic glove from his 1963 bout with Henry Cooper is up for sale and will be sold at an auction on October 31, and it could fetch up to £6million

The most famous - and controversial - glove of Muhammad Ali is up for auction, with an estimated value of up to £6million. This iconic left glove was worn by Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, in a non-title bout against British Boxer Henry Cooper in 1963.

At the time, Ali was the Olympic champion and a contender for the Heavyweight title, while Cooper held the current British and Commonwealth titles. The controversy surrounding this glove stems from a 2.5cm tear in its knuckle.

Cooper, renowned for his powerful left hook, landed one on Ali at the end of the fourth round. Despite being knocked down, Ali was saved by the bell.

It's believed that Ali's coach, Dundee, ripped the glove, necessitating a replacement and giving Ali more time to recover. In 2000, Cooper told the BBC: "They did business on the glove. I've had dinner with him [Dundee] a couple of times since then and he's openly admitted it."

However, boxing promoter Frank Warren expressed doubt about Dundee tampering with the glove, stating: "He never said it didn't happen, he never said it did happen. Angelo Dundee was a very astute guy. It would have helped his reputation as a great cornerman.", reports the Daily Star.

"He was a super, super cornerman. Everyone thought he was a genius [believing he had deliberately torn the glove]. But it just didn't happen."

However, listening to the audio recording of the bout, the break between round four and five was only six seconds longer than the earlier breaks between rounds. This finding dismisses the myth that the torn glove gave Ali minutes to recover from the knockdown. The glove is vibrant cerise-red colour and also bears its controversial 2.5cm tear or cut in the knuckle.

Director and owner of the auction, Stuart Bull said: we like to think we're around £4 million to £6 million, probably more." The glove is currently stored in a secret vault and will be sold in an online auction ending on October 31.