MUHAMMAD ALI’s Vietnam War draft card is going up for auction – more than 50 years after the boxer’s dramatic act of defiance.
The legendary heavyweight refused to join the U.S. Army when drafted in 1967.
Muhammad Ali’s Vietnam draft card is up for auction[/caption]
The heavyweight champion refused to fight in 1967[/caption]
The card – which doesn’t hold Ali’s signature – could fetch $5million at auction[/caption]
Ali was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his boxing titles.
He was also banned from the sport and spent the next three years facing jail, before being spared by the Supreme Court.
The draft card has been provided by Ali’s family to auction house Christie’s.
It features Ali’s birth name – Cassius Clay Jr. – and strikingly does not include his signature.
The document could fetch a remarkable $3 million to $5 million, the auction house has estimated.
“Being reminded of my father’s message of courage and conviction is more important now than ever,” said Ali’s daughter Rasheda.
“The sale of his draft card at Christie’s is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world.”
“This is a singular object associated with an important historical event that looms large in our shared popular culture,” added Peter Klarnet, a Christie’s senior specialist, via ESPN.
“This is the first time collectors will be able to acquire a vital and intimate document connected to one of the most important figures of the last century.”
Ali was famously away from the ring for three years, before returning in 1970 to beat Jerry Quarry in his long-awaited comeback.
Just a year later, he was facing off with Joe Frazier in the ‘Fight of the Century’.
The Kentucky native, who died in 2016 aged 74, is regarded by many as the greatest heavyweight of all time.
He was the undisputed champion of the world from 1974 to 1978 and fought 61 times as a pro.
Ali boasted a 56-5 record, with 37 of his wins coming by knockout.
Recently, his brother Rahaman passed away aged 82.
Muhammad‘s daughter Hana penned a touching tribute, which read: “In Loving Memory of My Uncle Rock.
Ali’s fighting family
The boxing icon left the sport in 1981 and sadly passed away in 2016.
But his legacy in sport was carried on with daughter Laila becoming an undefeated world champion.
Ali’s brother Rahaman was also a heavyweight boxer, amassing a 14–3–1 record and even facing his iconic sibling in a 1972 exhibition.
Laila’s sister and one of Ali’s seven daughters Rasheda has two boys, Biaggio and Nico, who are both fighters.
Biaggio Ali Walsh is a 2-0 MMA star while brother Nico is 10–2 as a boxer.
“Today, the last living member of my father’s immediate family returned to heaven.
“My Uncle, lovingly known as Rock, was a sweet, gentle soul with a heart as big as the world.
“He had that same sparkle in his eye that my father had… that same light, that same mischief, that same love.
“They were close their entire lives, brothers by blood, but friends by choice.
“Even as children, their bond was extraordinary. My father loved his brother like he was his own child.”
