– Transcending sport –
Reflecting Ali’s reach far beyond boxing, many of the biggest names in world politics also remembered a man who stuck up for his beliefs – and for those less influential than himself.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Ali had been Mandela’s hero.
“Nelson Mandela, a boxing enthusiast most of his life, acknowledged Ali as his boxing hero. Madiba had great respect for his legacy and spoke with admiration of Ali’s achievements,” said Sello Hatang, chief executive of the foundation.
Mandela’s favourite book at his office – where there was a photo of the two men together – was an autographed copy of an Ali biography, the organisation said.
Former US president Bill Clinton said he had been “honoured” to award Ali the Presidential Citizens Medal at the White House in January 2001, just before leaving office.
“Through triumph and trials,” Clinton said, Ali “became even greater than his legend.”
“We watched him grow from the brash self-confidence of youth and success into a manhood full of religious and political convictions that led him to make tough choices and live with the consequences.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Ali “an extraordinary athlete and a remarkable man of good deeds who conquered the hearts of millions.”
“Boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s life-long struggle against racism and discrimination will never be forgotten,” he wrote on Twitter.
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