Winter Auction 2015 closing February 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2015
When all is said and done, there are but few sports photographs that stand the test of time and become icons. Along with Nat Fein’s famous “Babe Bows Out” photo stands Neil Leifer’s incredible shot of Heavyweight Champion Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) taunting a defeated Sonny after his stunning 1st round knockout punch. Delivered during their famous rematch fight in Lewiston, Maine on May 25, 1965, this stunning color image captures perfectly the confidence and bluster of a young Ali. Just a few months earlier the world was introduced to a new World Champion when Ali defeated the heavily favored Liston with a 7th round knockout in their first meeting in Miami Beach on February 1964, but it was this second fight and Leifer’s indelible photograph that marked the arrival of Muhammad Ali. The Champ has signed this 16x20 color photograph in blue sharpie pen with a bold large signature. Letter of Authenticity from JSA.