A signed letter from Muhammad Ali to Nelson Mandela offering his condolences on the death of an anti-apartheid leader has sold at auction in England for £7,200 (€8,500).

A signed letter from Muhammad Ali to Nelson Mandela offering his condolences on the death of an anti-apartheid leader will be sold at auction.

Nelson Mandela guided South Africa from the shackles of apartheid to multi-racial democracy, as an icon of peace and reconciliation who came to embody the struggle for justice globally.

IS Nelson Mandela the only hero left as he prepares to celebrate his 90th birthday tomorrow? It is difficult to conclude otherwise, despite recent criticism of his muteness about Robert Mugabe.