Mandela the boxer
Although Nelson Mandela understood the power and value of sport and supported all sporting codes in the country, it is well known that boxing was his favorite sport, himself engaging in the sport to relieve tension in his earlier years.
“Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”
This was one of Nelson Mandela’s most famous quotes and his involvement with top sporting events and teams during his time as president of the country was a testament to his dedication to this issue.
The so-called ‘Madiba Magic’ that served as inspiration for many sports teams of South Africa was well known. It worked well for the Springbok rugby team’s campaign in the World Cup in 1995, as well as for Bafana Bafana’s successful campaign in the African Cup soccer tournament in 1996.
Although he loved all sports, it is also well known that Mandela’s favourite sport was boxing. In his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, he describes his connection to boxing as follows: “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… Boxing is egalitarian. In the ring, rank, age, colour, and wealth are irrelevant. I never did any real fighting after I entered politics. My main interest was in training. I found the rigorous exercise to be an excellent outlet for tension and stress. After a strenuous workout, I felt both mentally and physically lighter. It was a way of losing myself in something that was not the struggle. After an evening’s workout, I would wake up the next morning feeling strong and refreshed, ready to take up the fight again.”
He also admitted that he was at best an average amateur in boxing: “I was never an outstanding boxer. I was in the heavyweight division, and I had neither enough power to compensate for my lack of speed nor enough speed to make up for my lack of power.”
However, it is known that in his time as state president, he often followed major boxing events and he met several of the country’s boxers. He also loved to meet boxers from earlier eras and the media often reported with great interest his discussions with these past heroes.
One of these boxers from the past who met Mandela during his time as state president was the former heavyweight sensation from Pretoria, Kallie Knoetze. Knoetze, who was known as Die Bek van Boomstraat (The Loudmouth from Boom Street) because of his habit to brag and boast about himself, told Rekord it was one of his most humbling experiences to meet Mandela. They met in 1996 in Brits near Knoetze’s farm and he said he sat and spoke alone with Mandela for more than an hour. He said he learned a lot from the elderly man in that hour. He was amazed at Mandela’s insight and his knowledge of the country’s boxing history. Knoetze said one of his most prized possessions is a photo taken that day showing him and Mandela pretending to arm wrestle.
