Signed Muhammad Ali & Joe Frazier Poster
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GUEST:
My father in March of 1971 actually attended this fight, sat on the lower mezzanine, even with the ring. And as him and his friends exited the fight, they were so excited, he said he instinctively pulled it off a pillar in Madison Square Garden.
APPRAISER:
So then how'd he get Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali to sign it?
GUEST:
He was actually at a signing event in the early '80s. “
APPRAISER:
Ali, 31 and 0, he's just come back after being suspended for refusing to go into the draft. Joe Frazier, 26 and 0. The first time two undefeated heavyweight boxers ever met for a championship bout. It was a circus. Ali started off extremely strong in the first three or four rounds, but he started to tire. And then Frazier went after him and actually knocked him down several times. Frazier ended up winning the fight. This was Ali's first professional loss as a fighter. It had to have been devastating to him. And it put Frazier on top of the world. Of course, Ali changed that two years later when he fought Frazier again in the second fight, and then of course with “Thrilla in Manila,” which he also won. You know, really the greatest trilogy ever, I think, in heavyweight boxing, many people would say. A lot of these posters advertised closed circuit television, they weren't at the site, but this was actually from Madison Square Garden. These are much rarer. And to have it signed by Ali and Frazier is fantastic. Now, I also noticed you have the fight program here. Now, this is a curse and a blessing a little bit. Because you're going to need at some point a restorer to take this off. You're really probably looking at $50, $75 for the program. We also have some creasing up here, probably where they took it off...
GUEST:
It was actually from that night, from that night.
APPRAISER:
But even so, at auction I still think that this would sell for at least $5,000.
GUEST:
That's very exciting. My father would be very excited.
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