Before there was Ali vs Frazier there was Clay vs Smith.
And Clay vs Logan.
Clay vs. Siler, anyone?
Only a real Muhammad Ali fan would know the names of some of the fighters who challenged the young Cassius Clay in Louisville and beyond during his days as a teenage boxing prodigy. Posters promoting those earliest days exist, though, and they’re part of a huge collection that’s about to come to auction for the first time.
The group of 170 fight posters will be sold one by one through Heritage Auctions. Some are on-site posters while others promoted closed circuit telecast locations in the days before cable, satellite and streaming.
Some of the posters date to a time when he wasn’t even a big enough draw to be considered the headliner on the card.
Among the highlights:
- The earliest known Ali fight poster from an October 28, 1959 bout with Logan Smith, when a teenage Ali was part of a benefit event for another Louisville boxer with cancer. It’s expected to sell for $10,000 or more.
- The earliest known poster from Ali’s pro career–a December 27, 1960 event in Miami Beach, just a few months after his Olympic gold medal performance in Rome. Ali played second fiddle to the Willie Pastrano-Jesse Bowdry collision.
- An October 1960 Kroger grocery store ad for the company’s boxing ticket promotion for an event featuring Ali, who was making his professional debut in Louisville against Tunney Hunsaker
- A framed poster from his 1964 Miami Beach “I shook up the world!” victory over Sonny Liston that’s expected to sell for at least $20,000.
- A poster from Ali’s fight against Ken Norton at Yankee Stadium in September of 1976 that’s expected to bring $10,000 or more
The posters will be part of the Summer Heritage catalog auction with bidding set to open June 30 and running through July 21-23.
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