Muhammad Ali's Trunks from 'Thrilla in Manila' Fight Sell for $1.2M at Auction

The trunks Muhammad Ali wore while fighting Joe Frazier in the 1975 "Thrilla in Manila" bout have sold for $1.2 million at auction.

That total, which includes a buyer's premium, was announced Friday at Sotheby's, as reported by Will Stern of Cllct. Bidding started at $1 million, Stern noted.

Sotheby's planned to put the shorts up for auction in April 2024 before the sale was postponed, Stern previously reported.

At the time the original auction was delayed, the trunks had received a top bid of $3.8 million without buyer's premium, per Stern. That bid fell short of the sale price of $4-6 million originally estimated by Sotheby's.

The auction house told Stern last spring that delaying the sale would allow for "additional public viewing opportunities." Stern noted it is "unclear to what extent" the shorts were publicly or privately shopped between the first and second auction dates.

This time, the trunks went to auction with an irrevocable bid already in place. That meant a sale was guaranteed regardless of the auction's results, per Sotheby's.

The shorts, signed by Ali on the right leg, were worn during his 14-round bout with Frazier in October 1975 in the Philippines.

Ali's shorts originally hit the market in a 1988 auction after they were found in a storage locker owned by Ali's assistant trainer, Drew "Bundini" Brown, following Bundini's death. The shorts most recently sold for just over $150,000 in 2012, per Reuters.

Other parts of the outfit Ali wore during the Thrilla in Manila have also already been auctioned off, including his boxing shoes, which are currently owned by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.