Nelson Mandela was born on a day like today in 1913. The hero who fought for equality in South Africa and became a world icon thanks to his actions and his legacy, always saw sport as a tool to achieve union and transform the world.

It is widely known how he used rugby for noble purposes in his own country, and his words will always be remembered: “sport has the power to change the world”.

Mandela had a great affection for sports in general and boxing was no exception. The mythical leader was very close to the Sweet Science, which was very important in his development.

For Mandela, boxing was not only a distraction or a sport, but a way to get through his toughest years, especially when he was unfairly imprisoned for his fight against Apartheid.

During his 27-year sentence, the stress and tension generated by his confinement were mitigated with the practice of a discipline that “Madiba” considered admirable. The art of dodging the fists of the opponent, having the cunning and intelligence to survive in a ring and carrying out a strategy to win were elements that caught the attention of Mandela, who always reflected on this sport and highlighted the teachings that it left him.

“I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was intrigued by how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match”, Mandela points out in his autobiography.

He never fought, he simply devoted himself to practicing and talked about the difficult conditions in which the sport would develop in those years. Little work equipment and the danger of training on the concrete itself due to the absence of canvas, are some of the things that Mandela mentions in his biography, but always with the doors open to the practice of boxing.

“Boxing is egalitarian. In the ring, rank, age, color, and wealth are irrelevant. When you are circling your opponent, probing his strengths and weaknesses, you are not thinking about his color or social status”, is another of the quotes from his book.

For Mandela, equality among human beings was always vital. That is why, on the 1990s, Gilberto Mendoza, President Emeritus of the WBA, visited South Africa and managed to contact this great leader in a demonstration that boxing and equality go hand in hand.

Other great figures like Muhammad Ali also had a good relationship with Mandela. The African leader made his contribution for the world to see boxing as what it is, a science and a vehicle for social improvement.

The WBA has great admiration for Mandela and follows the example of his foundation under the slogan “Take action. Inspire change”.