Articles

Ali Memorabilia Up For Auction From Dundee Estate

Published

12 years ago

July 30, 2012

TSS LOGO Laguna Niguel, Calif. (July 30, 2012) – SCP Auctions is proud to announce The Angelo Dundee Estate Collection of boxing memorabilia for its November 2012 online auction. In a Hall of Fame career in professional boxing that began in 1952, Angelo Dundee gained acclaim as a brilliant cornerman, whether healing cuts, inspiring his fighters to battle on when they seemed to be reeling, or adjusting strategy between rounds to counter an opponent’s style. The renowned trainer was a guiding force to the two most celebrated fighters of his era, Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, and 15 other world champions.

The collection features hundreds of items spanning the breadth of Dundee’s extraordinary career and includes some of the most historically important Muhammad Ali memorabilia ever offered to the public. Among the collection highlights are several significant pairs of Muhammad Ali fight-worn gloves including Ali’s (then Cassius Clay) gloves from his February 25, 1964 bout against Sonny Liston and his gloves from his March 8, 1971 bout against Joe Frazier (Ali-Frazier I). These two pairs of gloves represent Ali’s two most legendary fights and have been dubbed by SCP Auctions officials as “the most valuable and historically significant boxing artifacts in the world.”

“These gloves represent boxing’s crown jewels,” said Dan Imler, SCP Auctions managing director, “and rank among the most significant sports memorabilia artifacts ever offered publicly. Muhammad Ali is a cultural icon beloved throughout the world. These are the ultimate tools of Ali’s trade from his most legendary bouts, used by him to forge his undisputed status as ‘The Greatest of All Time’.”

Clay’s 1964 bout with Liston was among the most anticipated, watched and controversial fights in sports history. The brash 22-year-old Clay entered the fight as a seven-to-one underdog against the seemingly unstoppable Liston. Clay’s improbable sixth-round TKO brought him his first heavyweight title. His jubilant and defiant celebration whereby Clay repeatedly taunts ringside detractors with his famous proclamations “I am the greatest!” and “I shook up the world!” has been rebroadcast countless times during the ensuing decades.

Seven years later, Muhammad Ali met Joe Frazier in the first of a trilogy of battles that may be the best series of contests between two combatants in the history of boxing. Ali, then 31-0, had been stripped of his heavyweight titles when, as Cassius Clay, he refused to be inducted into the military after being drafted for the Vietnam War. Frazier, at 26-0, had captured the title of undisputed heavyweight champion in 1970 with a technical knockout of Jimmy Ellis. Billed as “The Fight of The Century,” it was a brutal 15-round battle that ended with a decision in favor of Frazier. The epic struggle is considered by many as the greatest boxing match of all time. It was a practice of Dundee’s to mark Ali’s fight gloves with identifying notations on the interior either just prior to or after each fight to record their provenance. His period notations and signature appear inside each glove.

Jim Dundee, the late Angelo’s son, plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the November 2012 sale to the Muhammad Ali Foundation.

“Through the sale of this collection, I look forward to fulfilling my father’s wish that necessary medical care be provided and funded for my sister, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis,” said Dundee.

Other significant artifacts from The Angelo Dundee Estate Collection of Boxing Memorabilia include the following:

• Cassius Clay’s fight-worn gloves from 1962 bout vs. Johnny Logan

• Muhammad Ali’s fight-worn gloves from 1966 bout vs. George Chuvalo

• Muhammad Ali’s fight-worn gloves from 1970 bout vs. Oscar Bonavena

• Muhammad Ali’s fight-worn gloves from 1972 bout vs. Floyd Patterson

• Muhammad Ali’s c.1964 5th Street Gym training-worn robe

• Muhammad Ali’s Everlast white satin fight-worn robe

• Angelo Dundee’s 1958 boxing trainer's license

• Muhammad Ali’s 1963 boxing license

• Muhammad Ali’s mouthpiece molds and fight-worn mouthpiece from last fight vs. Trevor Berbick

• Sugar Ray Leonard’s fight-worn gloves from 1980 Leonard vs. Roberto Durán II (no más) bout

For more information on how to participate in November’s auction, visit www.scpauctions.com or call (949) 831-3700.

Comment on this article

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

The Sweet Science

Articles

2015 Fight of the Year – Francisco Vargas vs Takashi Miura

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

The WBC World Super Featherweight title bout between Francisco Vargas and Takashi Miura came on one of the biggest boxing stages of 2015, as the bout served as the HBO pay-per-view’s co-main event on November 21st, in support of Miguel Cotto vs Saul Alvarez.

Miura entered the fight with a (29-2-2) record and he was making the fifth defense of his world title, while Vargas entered the fight with an undefeated mark of (22-0-1) in what was his first world title fight. Both men had a reputation for all-out fighting, with Miura especially earning high praise for his title defense in Mexico where he defeated Sergio Thompson in a fiercely contested battle.

The fight started out hotly contested, and the intensity never let up. Vargas seemed to win the first two rounds, but by the fourth round, Miura seemed to pull ahead, scoring a knock-down and fighting with a lot of confidence. After brawling the first four rounds, Miura appeared to settle into a more technical approach. Rounds 5 and 6 saw the pendulum swing back towards Vargas, as he withstood Miura’s rush to open the fifth round and the sixth round saw both men exchanging hard punches.

The big swinging continued, and though Vargas likely edged Miura in rounds 5 and 6, Vargas’ face was cut in at least two spots and Miura started to assert himself again in rounds 7 and 8. Miura was beginning to grow in confidence while it appeared that Vargas was beginning to slow down, and Miura appeared to hurt Vargas at the end of the 8th round.

Vargas turned the tide again at the start of the ninth round, scoring a knock down with an uppercut and a straight right hand that took Miura’s legs and sent him to the canvas. Purely on instinct, Miura got back up and continued to fight, but Vargas was landing frequently and with force. Referee Tony Weeks stepped in to stop the fight at the halfway point of round 9 as Miura was sustaining a barrage of punches.

Miura still had a minute and a half to survive if he was going to get out of the round, and it was clear that he was not going to stop fighting.

A back and forth battle of wills between two world championship level fighters, Takashi Miura versus “El Bandido” Vargas wins the 2015 Fight of the Year.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Articles

Jan 9 in Germany – Feigenbutz and De Carolis To Settle Score

Published

9 years ago

January 4, 2016

The Sweet Science

This coming Saturday, January 9th, the stage is set at the Baden Arena in Offenburg, Germany for a re-match between Vincent Feigenbutz and Giovanni De Carolis. The highly anticipated re-match is set to air on SAT.1 in Germany, and Feigenbutz will once again be defending his GBU and interim WBA World titles at Super Middleweight.

The first meeting between the two was less than three months ago, on October 17th and that meeting saw Feigenbutz controversially edge De Carolis on the judge’s cards by scores of (115-113, 114-113 and 115-113). De Carolis scored a flash knock down in the opening round, and he appeared to outbox Feigenbutz in the early going, but the 20 year old German champion came on in the later rounds.

The first bout is described as one of the most crowd-pleasing bouts of the year in Germany, and De Carolis and many observers felt that the Italian had done enough to win.

De Carolis told German language website RAN.DE that he was more prepared for the re-match, and that due to the arrogance Feigenbutz displayed in the aftermath of the first fight, he was confident that he had won over some of the audience. Though De Carolis fell short of predicting victory, he promised a re-vamped strategy tailored to what he has learned about Feigenbutz, whom he termed immature and inexperienced.

The stage is set for Feigenbutz vs De Carolis 2, this Saturday January 9th in Offenburg, Germany. If you can get to the live event do it, if not you have SAT.1 in Germany airing the fights, and The Boxing Channel right back here for full results.

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!

Articles

2015 Knock Out of the Year – Saul Alvarez KO’s James Kirkland

Published

9 years ago

December 29, 2015

The Sweet Science

On May 9th of 2015, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez delivered a resonant knock-out of James Kirkland on HBO that wins the 2015 KO of the Year.

The knock-out itself came in the third round, after slightly more than two minutes of action. The end came when Alvarez delivered a single, big right hand that caught Kirkland on the jaw and left him flat on his back after spinning to the canvas.Alvarez was clearly the big star heading into the fight. The fight was telecast by HBO for free just one week after the controversial and disappointing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight, and Alvarez was under pressure to deliver the type of finish that people were going to talk about. Kirkland was happy to oblige Alvarez, taking it right to Alvarez from the start. Kirkland’s aggression saw him appear to land blows that troubled the young Mexican in the early going. Alvarez played good defense, and he floored Kirkland in the first round, displaying his power and his technique in knocking down an aggressive opponent.

However, Kirkland kept coming at Alvarez and the fight entered the third round with both men working hard and the feeling that the fight would not go the distance. Kirkland continued to move forward, keeping “Canelo” against the ropes and scoring points with a barrage of punches while looking for an opening.

At around the two minute mark, Alvarez landed an uppercut that sent Kirkland to the canvas again. Kirkland got up, but it was clear that he did not have his legs under him. Kirkland was going to try to survive the round, but Alvarez had an opportunity to close out the fight. The question was would he take it?

Alvarez closed in on Kirkland, putting his opponent’s back to the ropes. Kirkland was hurt, but he was still dangerous, pawing with punches and loading up for one big shot.

But it was the big shot “Canelo” threw that ended the night. Kirkland never saw it coming, as he was loading up with a huge right hand of his own. The right Alvarez threw cracked Kirkland in the jaw, and his eyes went blank. His big right hand whizzed harmlessly over the head of a ducking Alvarez, providing the momentum for the spin that left Kirkland prone on the canvas.

Saul “Canelo” Alvarez went on to defeat Miguel Cotto in his second fight of 2015 and he is clearly one of boxing’s biggest stars heading into 2016. On May 9th Alvarez added another reel to his highlight film when he knocked out James Kirkland with the 2015 “Knock Out of the Year”.

Photo by naoki fukuda

Post Views: 0

Share The Sweet Science experience!