In 1912, William Taft became the first American president to participate in a boxing match with a live kangaroo. Australian Prime Minister Andrew Fisher challenged Taft to fight the animal in order to generate national pride for Australia, which gained dominion status from Britain just a few years earlier. From a political perspective, Fisher was much more of a champion of the working class than the more business-friendly American president. Fisher boasted that if that "husky boar (President Taft) can defeat our most elite fighting kangaroo, then I will humbly undo every piece of workers' legislation passed in Australia and will sell my mother to his administration for a year to work for free as the White House maid."
President William "husky boar" Taft accepted the challenge and fought "Excelby" the kangaroo in front of a small crowd of dignitaries on the White House lawn. The match was intended to be symbolic, and the President was ready to throw the fight. However, Taft slipped after failing to connect on his first punch and fractured his jaw. Taft's wife Helen wrestled the kangaroo to the ground after it had begun a "celebratory dance" atop his fallen opponent. After the fight, Fisher playfully telegraphed Taft the message "so, when will I get to meet your mother?" and mailed to Taft a basket of Australian bushfood and Excelby's boxing glove.
Taft's pride already wounded, he would get stuck in the bathtub soon afterwards.
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