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Police: Championship boxing belt given to Nelson Mandela was stolen

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Posted at 12:49 PM, Jul 13, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-13 15:49:22-04

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A World Boxing Council championship belt belonging to former South African President Nelson Mandela has been stolen from a museum in Soweto.

The belt was given to Mandela by American boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard during one of his visits to South Africa.

It was one of many artifacts inside the Nelson Mandela National Museum museum, a major tourist attraction for local and international travelers.

Mandela, a former amateur boxer, revered the belt and it was prominently displayed in the museum, which is in a house where he once lived.

South African media outlet eNCA reported that police took fingerprints upon learning about the theft.

However, police spokeswoman Dimakatso Sello said that no suspects have been arrested.

Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95.