18 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Nelson Mandela

6. His Favourite Sport Was Boxing... Because He Loved To Study The "Science" Of It

Although he may have successfully helped the whole of South Africa to bond behind the nation's bid to become Rugby World Cup champions in 1995, rugby union was (and to a certain degree still is) considered a white elitist sport there. Instead, Mandela preferred the art of boxing - a sport he loved to watch, despite the violence, and something he studied in depth. Explaining his passion for boxing in his autobiography, Mandela wrote:

"I did not like the violence of boxing. I was more interested in the science of it - how you move your body to protect yourself, how you use a plan to attack and retreat, and how you pace yourself through a fight."