In 1964, Cassius Clay entered the ring to face Sonny Liston, a menacing bruiser and heavy favorite to defend his heavyweight crown. But it was the young challenger—four years removed from his gold medal in Rome—who shocked the world to win his first heavyweight title. Then came the undefeated and overpowering George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle” ten years later. Seemingly overmatched, Muhammad Ali did it again, elevating his legend to new heights. Finally, on September 15, 1978, with his best years clearly behind him, Ali defeated Leon Spinks in a rematch from his 15-round loss seven months earlier to win the World Heavyweight Championship an unprecedented third time. Commissioned by Ali and made by Jostens, this special 10-karat gold ring commemorates Ali’s third trip to the mountain top.
The regal design on the face features a crown of three round-cut diamonds (representing each Heavyweight title) set atop a black stone. "Ali - World Champion - Three Times" surrounds the perimeter. The left shank, in Ali's celebrated hyperbole, announces "The Greatest Heavyweight World Champion." The right shank has "Muhammad Ali” and “64, '74, '78” with a boxing glove in the middle inscribed with his three opponents, “S.Liston - G.Foreman - L.Spinks.” Interior band is stamped "Jostens 10K.” Very well-preserved with little visible wear, the size 11 ring weighs 38 grams and comes in its small Jostens presentation case. These rings were made in small quantities and issued to members of Ali's inner circle or training team. It should be noted that we sold a version of this ring with a red stone for $12,172 in 2012. There appear to be more red stone than black stone versions circulating in the hobby.