Mohammed Ali ‘most important’ glove to fetch millions at auction

“We believe it’s probably the most important boxing glove Cassius Clay ever wore,” said Stuart Bull, director and owner of Stuart Bull Auctions.

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

The British Boxing Board of Control commissioned Baily’s of Glastonbury to make both gloves ahead of the fight. It is thought the right-hand glove now belongs to the Qatari Royal Family.

They are made of leather from cape hair sheep, which was dyed a cerise red colour at Pittards Tannery in Yeovil, before being sold to Baily’s for manufacturing.

After the fight, the glove returned to Baily’s for inspection and remained stored there until it was acquired by the vendor’s family.

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

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