This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/10/2021
With an impressive 50-4 record, Sonny Liston was regarded as one of the most elite boxers of the 50s and 60s. Prior to his untimely death, Liston was known for his brutal knockouts and raw strength which helped him dominate his way to the heavyweight title before having it taken by Muhammad Ali in 1964. While his losses to Ali in 1964 and 1965 imprint the memories of most boxing officionados, those more knowledgable fans of the heavyweight division know Liston as the forefather of devastating punches and knockouts that Foreman and Tyson later modeled their style after.
Offered here is a pair of black satin trunks with ‘Sonny Liston’ in white on the left leg, the style Liston wore during much of the ‘60s. While they look similar to the trunks seen in the famous “Phantom Punch” photo, this pair sports the ‘Everlast’ logo on the waistband, which according to boxing collectables expert Craig Hamilton was not featured during that fight but rather were worn in the mid to late 60's by the violent hitting heavyweight. Hamilton stresses the fight use of this satin style as opposed to training and he notes, "These trunks are similar to trunks Liston wore in several fights during that period including Leotis Martin," a knockout loss that would prove to be the second to last fight of his career. The trunks exhibit outstanding sweat wear with scattered foxing on the white satin but no other condition issues of note. The trunks are accompanied by an extensive Letter of Authenticity from Hamilton where he notes that he was able to trace the history of the garment back to the famous collection of Duke Hott, one of pioneers of the "game worn" hobby. According to Hamilton, Hott purchased these one of a kind trunks directly from the Liston family.