The fight attracted widespread controversy, with Ali's first-round knockout blow described as a "phantom punch", but the gloves themselves were said to have been one of the "most important pieces of memorabilia to ever come to market" by Heritage Sports, who listed the item with a $500,000 (£330,000/€440,000) starting price.

Both pairs of gloves were also signed by Ali to celebrate the fight's 30th anniversary in 1995.

The bout, held in Maine, ended in less than two minutes when Ali appeared to have caught Liston with a strong blow, but it is unclear from the footage whether that actually connected.

This led some fans inside the arena to voice their displeasure, and even Ali looked to have been angry at the fact Liston had fallen to the canvas.

The gloves were seized by the boxing commissioner of Maine, George Russo, following the controversial match and were later bought by collector Seth Erstoff.

The new buyer has asked to remain anonymous.

A rare signed photo of Shoeless Joe Jackson was bought by an anonymous bidder for $179,000 (£116,000/€157,000) ©Heritage Auctions



At the same auction, hosted by Dallas-based Heritage Sports, a rare signed photo of Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is largely remembered for being banned from baseball for his part in the 1919 World Series scandal, was sold for $179,000 (£116,000/€157,000).

Jackson was reportedly illiterate and only used his signature to sign official documents, making the photo one of the rarest pieces of sporting memorabilia to sell at auction.

Experts estimate there are less than 100 authentic Jackson signatures in circulation.

Elsewhere at the lucrative auction, the ring legendary ice hockey coach Herb Brooks received for guiding the United States to gold at the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics after the famous "Miracle on Ice" game win over the Soviet Union fetched $113,525 (£74,000/€100,000).

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