NELSON MANDELA’S death in 2013 resulted in an outpouring of tribute and veneration such as no other political or world figure could ever hope to inspire in modern times, perhaps with the exception of Muhammad Ali. And as with Mandela, it is no coincidence that Ali also dedicated himself to confronting racial oppression and in so doing became a global icon. What Mandela — or Madiba as he was more affectionately known — also had in common with Ali was his love of boxing.