Hancock Park mansion once owned by Muhammad Ali seeks $17M

In his book, “Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times,” Thomas Hauser describes a Hancock Park mansion that once belonged to the heavyweight boxing champion as “the most luxurious residence any heavyweight champion ever owned.”

That property — a 14,500-square-foot Italian Renaissance estate — is now on the market for $17 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The most recent sellers are Michael Lawson, a retired lawyer and chief executive of a national civil rights group, and Mattie McFadden-Lawson, a philanthropist who sat on President Barack Obama’s Advisory Committee on the Arts. They bought the property in 2001 for $2.5 million, records show.

Muhammad Ali at his home in Hancock Park, 1980 (Credit: Getty Images)

The home, which has seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms, was designed in 1916 by John C. Austin, an architect best known for the Griffith Observatory.

While it still contains many of its original features, such as stone fireplaces and chandeliers, the property has undergone several renovations throughout the years.

Ali and his third wife, Veronica Porché Ali, bought the home in 1979 for an undisclosed amount. During the seven years they lived there, it was profiled on a cover story for Ebony magazine.

Several high-profile guests, such as Michael Jackson and Sylvester Stallone, frequented the house during that time. [WSJ] – Natalie Hoberman