{"id":229981,"date":"2025-10-21T13:06:11","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/229981\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T13:06:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T13:06:11","slug":"muhammad-alis-vietnam-war-draft-card-famously-unsigned-by-boxing-icon-is-put-up-for-sale-by-christies-as-eye-watering-price-for-historic-item-is-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/229981\/","title":{"rendered":"Muhammad Ali’s Vietnam War draft card – famously unsigned by boxing icon – is put up for sale by Christie’s as eye-watering price for historic item is revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

By WILL GRIFFEE<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 06:46 EDT, 21 October 2025 | Updated: 07:48 EDT, 21 October 2025 <\/p>\n

The Vietnam War draft card of boxing icon Muhammad Ali<\/a> is for sale.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ali, who famously refused to sign the card and join the conflict, left the signature spot blank in a seismic act of defiance back in 1967.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now that slice of American and global history is for sale at Christie’s<\/a> Auction House and is listed with a guide price of up to \u00a33.7million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ali’s stance was hugely polarising at the time and he was convicted of draft evasion, stripped of his heavyweight title and banned from boxing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong’, he famously declared.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ali’s ban at the height of his powers kept him out of the ring for three years in total and he appealed the conviction on the grounds of being a Muslim minister.<\/p>\n

\"Muhammad <\/p>\n

Muhammad Ali’s draft card for the Vietnam War, famously unsigned, is up for sale<\/p>\n

\"Ali's <\/p>\n

Ali’s refusal to sign the card led to him being banned from boxing for three years<\/p>\n

\"Ali, <\/p>\n

Ali, then Cassis Clay (right), is pictured with a newspaper indicating the level of opposition to the conflict in 1966\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Supreme Court judgement was still hanging over him when he was allowed to return and fight Joe Frazier in 1971 but they ruled 8-0 in his favour and overturned the conviction.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The draft card being sold gives Ali’s birth name of\u00a0Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr – with his middle name incorrectly spelled as Marsellus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The legendary boxer changed his name to Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam and the card was signed by the local draft board chairperson from Louisville.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ali’s ultimate victory in the supreme court was a huge moment for the anti-war movement and saw his legacy become one of social justice as well as stardom in the ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His daughter, Rasheda Ali Walsh, released a statement via the auction house, saying: ‘Being reminded of my father’s message of courage and conviction is more important now than ever, and the sale of his draft card at Christie’s is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world.’<\/p>\n

The card is currently on display at the Rockefeller Center in New York and a Christie’s specialist added: ‘This is a singular object associated with an important historical event that looms large in our shared popular culture.<\/p>\n

‘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.’<\/p>\n

Christie’s said the card came to it via descendants of Ali, who\u00a0died in 2016 aged 74 after a long fight against Parkinson’s disease. Regarded as one of the biggest sporting stars of all-time, an estimated 100,000 took to the streets in his native Kentucky to chant his name when the hearse carrying him moved through the streets almost a decade ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The starting bid for Ali’s draft card on Christie’s website is \u00a32.24m ($3m)<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The boxing icon, pictured punching George Foreman in ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’, became known as much for his anti-war stance and social justice as his fighting prowess\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Ali, <\/p>\n

Ali, pictured at George W Bush’s inauguration in 2001, died in 2016 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease<\/p>\n

Ali was a three-time world champion often seen as the best heavyweight of all time – named Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC and Sportsman of the century by Sports Illustrated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His ‘Fight of the Century’ against Frazier and ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ contest with George Foreman were watched by millions and have passed into boxing folklore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is a week remaining for bidders to put in an offer on Ali’s draft card, providing the starting amount of \u00a32.24m is met.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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