Infamous ‘controversial’ glove from Muhammad Ali fight could sell for eye-watering £6 million

Muhammad Ali's famous 'torn' glove from his fight with Henry Cooper is now up for auction.

Ali is considered arguably the greatest boxer of all-time with his period in the spotlight as a talented and entertaining heavyweight transcending the sport.

'The Greatest' fought an incredible list of leading names in the blue-riband division, including George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes.

But a fight that sticks with the public is Ali's 1961 showdown with Brit Henry Cooper, which saw one left glove become his most infamous of his career.

It was claimed at the time that trainer Angelo Dundee carved a 2.5mm rip in the glove, which saw Ali allegedly afforded time to repair it after being knocked down in the fourth round.

He went on to win the fight, but it led to a significant public inquest regarding the accusations of 'cheating', which have never been officially proven.

Stuart Bull from Chard Auctions in Somerset, claims to have the glove and first listed the glove for £300,000 to £500,000, and is now selling it at a second attempt.

He has now listed it for a new time insisting that it now has an estimated value of £6million, which it could fetch at auction.

The value of the glove has been boosted since its initial auction, as Bull conducted a 65-page dossier of research in a bid to prove the glove is authentic.

Bull has spoken at length about the glove, highlighting its importance in Ali's career.

“We believe it’s probably the most important boxing glove Cassius Clay ever wore," he said.

“A year later he changed his name to Muhammad Ali so if not for this glove, we may never have heard of him.

“From the moment of meeting the family, I had realised that we got the genuine thing.

“It also came with a letter of provenance along with the deeds of the factory and the actual knockdown.

“We’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country gathering information.

“We’ve even spoken to the chap who sold the actual leather to make the gloves from Pittards to Baily's.

“I didn’t doubt it for one minute, but we had some doubters. That’s why we left no stone unturned.”

The glove will now go to sale and will be the latest piece of Ali memorabilia to collect a sizeable value if it does sell.

Ali remains the most influential name in the sport, with the late star reigning as undisputed champion during his heyday.

His movements inside and outside of the ring paved the way for generations to come, and his legacy lives on.

The auction ends on October 31, and boxing fans will be eager to find out what the piece of history is worth.