Shorts worn by Muhammad Ali at the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ could fetch up to $6MILLION at auction… as a collection of championship sports memorabilia is sold off at Sotheby’s

A pair of special boxing shorts worn by ‘The Greatest’ to ever step into a ring could fetch quite a bit of money at auction in the coming days.

Muhammad Ali’s swim trunks that he wore during the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ against Joe Frazier – one of the most legendary fights in boxing history – are on sale at Sotheby’s in New York City.

With the current bid for the iconic memorabilia piece at $3.8 million, Sotheby’s believes it could fetch between $4 and $6 million by the time the auction closes on April 12.

The fight is universally regarded as one of the biggest and most brutal fights in the history of professional boxing – being played for 14 rounds in sweltering 49°C heat.

It ended after Frazier’s cornermen told the referee to stop the fight.

The fight between then heavyweight champion Ali and Joe Frazier is one of the best in boxing

It ended in the 14th round after a strong showing from Ali led to Frazier’s corner ending the fight

Frazier’s trainer, Eddie Futch, decided to call off the fight after seeing the results of the 14th round – where Ali hit him with a flurry of punches – leaving ‘Smokin’ Joe’ barely able to see.

Unbeknownst to Frazier, Ali was also on the verge of retirement after ordering his trainers to take off his gloves.

He later told biographer Thomas Hauser, “Frazier stopped just before I did. I thought I couldn’t fight anymore.’

A friend of Frazier’s who was at the fight, Denise Menz, later described the atmosphere in the Araneta Coliseum as “So intensely hot, I’ve never felt such heat in my life.” Not a breath of air, nothing. And that was there. Can you imagine yourself in the ring? I don’t know how they did it.’

It was the third and final fight between the two boxing legends, giving Ali a 2-1 lead over Frazier and retaining his three heavyweight titles.

This auction is just one of many memorabilia on offer during Sotheby’s ‘Sports Week’.

The shorts will be sold during Sotheby’s Sports Week, which will also feature shoes worn by Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the 1996 NBA Finals against the Seattle SuperSonics

Also on offer is the jersey Ernie Banks wore when he hit his 500th career home run

Also being offered by the auction house are LeBron James’ Lakers jersey from the game when he reached 38,000 NBA points (expected to sell for up to $500,000) and his jersey from the 2024 NBA All-Star game ($300,000).

Plus, Kobe Bryant’s jersey from Game 1 of the 2009 Finals (up to $2.5 million) is up for grabs, along with Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu’s jerseys from their historic 3-point challenge during All-Star weekend (up to $50,000).

A pair of Air Jordan 11s worn by Michael Jordan in Game 5 of the 1996 NBA Finals (up to $400,000) will be sold as part of a collection of 50 sneakers worn by some of the best NBA players ever. They include LeBron, James Harden, Bryant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Yao Ming.

Items on offer also include the jersey worn by Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks when he hit his 500th career home run ($500,000).