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Theodore Roosevelt sponsored and participated
in boxing inside the White House, and he did it enthusiastically.
Roosevelt
regularly sparred with aides and visiting fighters during his presidency,
treating boxing as part of his “strenuous life” philosophy. He boxed in the
White House itself, including a 1905 match in which he was struck hard enough
to lose sight in his left eye,
an injury kept secret for years.
Teddy
Roosevelt outfitted the White House basement with training mats and continued
boxing, wrestling, and practicing judo with anyone willing to take him on —
aides, athletes, even family members.
