1 World Series scandal » Attell was accused in 1920 of helping fix the infamous 1919 World Series. He was said to have worked behind the scenes with gangster Arnold Rothstein to pay members of the Chicago White Sox to lose the series against Cincinnati. • Could he have been involved? It is possible. As great as he’d been in the ring, Attell was crooked in spirit, known for occasionally throwing a fight to gain a more lucrative rematch. He also admitted to having bet on certain opponents to go the distance in a fight, and then carrying them to the finish. He knew all the angles and he played them. Moreover, Attell was a notorious gambler. There was even a time where he served as Rothstein’s bodyguard. • When Attell was indicted along with several members of the White Sox, he denied being part of such a big operation. He claimed he was accused solely because he was friendly with the team and happened to know some gamblers. In a startling example of legal brio, Attell’s attorney argued that there was no proof that his client was the same man identified by the players as “Abe Attell.” • He never appeared in court and the state’s attorney allowed his case to lapse, but Attell was forever linked with perhaps the biggest scandal in professional sports history. At one point, Attell vowed to reveal the names of all who were involved, but he never did. For the remainder of his life, he’d artfully duck any questions about the 1919 series. If it was brought up, he’d change the subject immediately. Though he had a long and colorful life, there was always a cloud of dishonor hanging over boxing’s not-so-honest Abe. 171 total bouts » Or was it 154? The old Ring record books gave his record as 91- 9-13, with 53 KOs, 51 no-decision bouts and two no-contests. In recent years, however, researchers have whittled away at those totals. Historians claim Attell’s earliest recorded bouts were amateur contests and shouldn’t be counted. The truth was always malleable where Attell was concerned. 5 bouts with Jimmy Walsh » Walsh was not Attell’s most famous opponent, but their rivalry was deep. They met for the first time in Chelsea, Massachusetts, for the vacant featherweight title in February 1906. Attell won the fight, and the title, by 15-round decision. A rematch later that year in Los Angeles saw Attell win by knockout in the ninth. Attell made it three in a row the next year in Indianapolis, beating Walsh by 10-round decision. • Their fourth bout, held in Walsh’s hometown of Boston after Attell’s title reign, was a debacle. Attell couldn’t make weight and at the last minute asked for the fight to be at a catchweight. Walsh’s camp agreed, but only if the rounds were shortened to two minutes. With fans jeering the quick rounds and a gang of hoodlums running amok through the arena and smashing windows, the two old rivals boxed to a drab 10-round draw. “Attell is far from being the Attell of old,” reported the Boston Globe, “although he showed flashes of his old cleverness.” • Their final clash was a 10-round “newspaper decision” contest in 1913. The observer from the Globe noted that Attell abandoned his usual scientific style and instead “turned his attention to planting a stiff wallop.” He was aggressive throughout and had Walsh on the verge of a knockout at least twice.
2 fighting brothers » bouts and was briefly recognized as the bantamweight champion, making him and Abe the first brother duo to hold titles simultaneously. A third brother, Caesar, had 29 professional bouts. Two of Attell’s brothers were also reputable fighters. Monte Attell had a reported 137 total following any script, he had no choice but to start fighting back in earnest. Even though he was out of shape, Attell managed to turn the fight his way for several rounds. • A rematch held in August of that year ended in a 20-round draw. By the end of this seesaw battle, both men were covered in blood. Referee Jim Griffin called it “as even a match as I ever saw.” 20 rounds with Attell fought Murphy twice in 1912, each time for 20 rounds. They already knew each other well, having fought three newspaper decision contests in previous years. Their first 20-rounder took place on March 10, shortly after Attell lost the featherweight title. For the first five rounds, Murphy gave Attell a beating, though Attell started to fire back in the sixth and managed to take most of the next 10 rounds. Attell tired, however, allowing Murphy to finish strong. The result after 20 rounds was a victory for Murphy. The story, however, was just beginning. • Murphy’s camp alleged that Attell Harlem Tommy Murphy (twice!) » had approached their fighter prior to the bout with an offer of $4,000 (approximately $130,000 today) to “foul out” in the fifth and get himself disqualified. It was so the ex-champion could get a win and perhaps a rematch with Kilbane for the title. Murphy refused the offer, but no one told Attell. • Thinking the fight was in the bag for him, Attell barely trained. When the fifth round passed and Attell realized Murphy wasn’t
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