Debra Thompson's showcase, The Way We Were: Icons of the 60s, is attracting great interest and buyers. Clay & Liston has been sold to a couple who wish to adorn their sports room with this iconic image.

A commanding tribute to one of the most mythologised moments in sporting history, Clay & Liston captures the instant a young Cassius Clay, soon to be better known as Muhammad Ali, announced himself to the world with absolute conviction. The painting freezes the electric aftermath of the 1965 rematch when a sporting moment becomes legendary and the confidence of a black athlete became power.

Layered textures and dynamic mixed-media surfaces amplify the drama of the scene: Ali standing victorious, charged with energy and defiance, while the tension of the ring reverberates around him. Bold contrasts, graphic composition and expressive movement create a work that feels both historical and immediate.

This is more than a painting about boxing. It is about ambition, self-belief and cultural transformation. Ali represented a new kind of icon who was fearless, charismatic and unapologetically visible. Positioned within a contemporary interior, the work carries the authority of a modern monument, appealing to collectors drawn to power, history and the psychology of greatness.

Debra Thompson