BY THE NUMBERS: Abe Attell by Don Stradley When Abe Attell died in 1970, Edwin Pope of the Miami Herald claimed the 87-year-old “never missed a drink or a party. He was the worst kind of advertisement for clean living.” Indeed, Attell was a little man who lived large. Here’s his story by the numbers…
21 title defenses »
Sources differ over Attell’s exact number of title defenses, but there is no denying that he was a fighting champion. The
11 years as America’s top featherweight » Attell won a 20-round decision over Johnny Reagan in a bout that was, again, for the vacant title, but the featherweight picture was still muddled. A loss to Tommy Sullivan ended whatever claim he had on the title in 1904. Attell finally won legitimate recognition as champion by beating Jimmy Walsh in 1906. With the crown now firmly on his head, Attell seemed unbeatable for the next six years. • Along with being a master boxer, Attell could brawl and slug with anybody. He could also be a first-class cheater, never meeting a rule he couldn’t bend. International Boxing Hall of Fame credits him with 21 defenses during his second reign. Some bouts during his somewhat less official first term were also billed as title fights, so his exact total of successful defenses may always be a subject for debate. Some of the fighters who tried and failed to take Attell’s crown include Benny “Kid” Solomon, Eddie Kelly and Owen Moran. • Johnny Kilbane, whom Attell had defeated in 1910, eventually beat Attell for the title in 1912. From 1901 to 1912, there was hardly a better man at featherweight than Abraham Washington Attell of San Francisco. He was only 18 when he scored a 15-round decision over the highly regarded George “Little Chocolate” Dixon in 1901. The bout was billed as being for the vacant featherweight title, though Attell’s status as champion was tenuous. In 1903, Attell was so dominant at featherweight that he occasionally stepped up in weight to take on bigger challenges. He twice fought Oscar “Battling” Nelson, a vicious lightweight described by one writer as “shovelhead,” which gives an idea of both his appearance and fighting style. Their first bout was a no-decision contest in 1905, which the press gave to Attell. Their second fight took place at the San Francisco Coliseum in 1908 and was declared a 15-round draw. The verdict seemed fair to most observers. • “Where Nelson was the aggressor throughout the sensational struggle, Attell showed the greater skill as a boxer,” reported the San Francisco Call and Post. • Attell, of course, thought he won handily. • “I was never in danger during any stage of the contest,” Attell boasted, “and I finished up fresh.” 1 draw with Battling Nelson »
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