The hammer is poised to fall on a fabled left-hand glove worn by Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali) in his first fight against Henry Cooper at Wembley Stadium on 18 June 1963. The glove is being auctioned by Stuart Bull Auctions in Chard.
Cooper famously knocked Clay down seconds before the end of round four with a left hook nicknamed ‘’Enry’s ’Ammer’. Angelo Dundee, Clay’s trainer, worked frantically to revive Clay, who appeared dazed. Dundee later admitted to aggravating a cut in the glove by pushing his finger into it, which delayed the start of round five. Cooper’s own cut worsened, leading to the fight being stopped, with Clay declared the victor.
The glove, signed by Cooper and complete with a 2.5 cm cut, is being sold with documentation including a letter from the late Richard Mayers, Managing Director of Baily’s, declaring the glove’s authenticity, his Curriculum Vitae, and deeds to Baily’s Factory. The lot also includes a photograph of Cooper knocking Clay down in round four.
The glove was manufactured by Baily’s Tanneries of Glastonbury in 1963. Following the fight, it was returned to the factory for inspection and laboratory testing before being gifted to the seller’s family in 1992. It will be sold with a 70-page dossier of provenance research.
