58 Facts About Monte Attell

Monte Attell, born in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California, United States, was an American boxer.

Monte Attell took the vacant World Bantamweight title on June 19,1909, by defeating the 1904 bantamweight title holder Frankie Neil.

From fighting for survival in the streets, Monte Attell turned professional by 1902, winning his first five bouts.

Monte Attell lost several of his early bouts, but between February 1906 and May 1909, he won ten continuous matches.

Monte Attell's performance earned him a chance to fight for the vacant Bantamweight championship in 1909.

Two weeks later, Monte Attell defeated Miller again at the West End Athletic Club in St Louis, in a ten-round points decision.

Miller fought back gamely, but Monte Attell clearly held the better hand.

Monte Attell received the decision for his ability to penetrate Miller's defenses with stronger, if at times less frequent blows.

Monte Attell knocked out Johnny Reagan on December 22,1904, in seventeen rounds in St Louis.

In two previous meetings at St Louis's West End Club, Monte Attell had won in a close fifteen round points decision in St Louis on December 15,1904, and in an eighth round points decision the previous month.

Monte Attell lost to accomplished British boxer Owen Moran on May 15,1905, in a twenty-round points decision at the Pallisades in New York before a private, affluent crowd of around 150, who paid as much as $10 to see the fight, a princely sum in that era.

The bout caused a serious eye injury to Monte Attell which became permanent and eventually led to blindness.

On March 29,1905, Monte Attell fought Jimmy Walsh in Philadelphia in what many sources considered a World Bantamweight Title match that ended when the referee called a disqualification against Walsh in the sixth round for a low blow.

Monte Attell claimed to have been injured, and a foul was called by the referee, but Walsh was recognized as the Bantamweight Champion, by the National Boxing Association.

Monte Attell defeated Mike Kutchos on November 25,1908, for the Pacific Coast Bantamweight Title, winning in a fifteen-round points decision.

Monte Attell drew with Jimmy Walsh at the Colliseum in San Francisco in a fifteen-round points decision on December 21,1908.

On June 19,1909, Monte Attell won the World Bantamweight title defeating former champion Frankie Neil at Coffroth's Arena, in an eighteenth-round knockout in Colma, California.

Naughton writing for the Oakland Tribune, Monte Attell won every round of the eighteen round bout, which was ended by a full left handed blow to the chin of Frankie Neil.

Monte Attell was nearly finished at the end of the round from lefts and rights but was saved by the fifteenth's closing bell.

Monte Attell fought Jimmy Reagan on February 22,1909, in a World Bantamweight Title match that resulted in a twenty-round points decision at the Mission Street Arena in San Francisco, California.

The Oakland Tribune had Monte Attell winning every round after the seventh.

Monte Attell stood toe to toe with Reagan and "outfoxed, outboxed, and outgeneralled him".

Monte Attell was noted to have fought excellently in close, while maintaining an excellent defense, ducking, dodging, and blocking with great effect.

Monte Attell had fought Reagan earlier in a non-title match in Oakland, California, on November 30,1908, that resulted in a fifteen-round points decision.

Monte Attell drew with Daniel Webster on October 12,1909, in another bantamweight title match.

Monte Attell drew with Webster twice more in bantamweight title matches, once in a ten-round match in Los Angeles in November, 1909 and once in a twenty-round match in San Francisco in December of that year.

The New York Tribune wrote that Monte Attell traded punches with McGovern at three to one, and used his advantage in height and reach as well as a hard, straight punch that crossed inside to win their newspaper decision.

Monte Attell was down in the second as well from a swing to the jaw, though he rose quickly after his trip to the mat.

McGovern sensed a quick victory, but Monte Attell stood him off with straight lefts.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle wrote that Monte Attell used stabbing lefts to counter McGovern's advances in the fourth and fifth.

Monte Attell defeated Johnny Daly in a world bantamweight title match on October 2,1911, in a close ten round points decision in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Monte Attell, having a longer reach, used his left to shove back Daly's face to gain an opening, and then connected with his right to the chin or chest on multiple occasions.

Daly's strong left failed often to reach its target against the rapid maneuvers of Monte Attell, who showed better defensive ringcraft.

Monte Attell defeated Jimmy Carroll in a ten-round newspaper decision on October 26,1909, at Piedmont Pavilion in Oakland.

Monte Attell came in close with both hands, fighting a successful bout from the first to the final rounds.

Carroll, who was outweighed by Monte Attell, fought on the aggressive and evened the points scoring as Monte Attell fought more defensively in the later rounds of the bout.

Carroll, who was much slimmer than Monte Attell, scored repeatedly with straight lefts, but did more poorly in the infighting, where Monte Attell excelled.

Monte Attell lost the world bantamweight championship to Frankie Conley on February 22,1910, at the Pacific Athletic Club in Vernon, a suburb of Los Angeles, by a knockout in the 42nd round.

Conley's knockout win was something of a surprise to the audience, as he was only 20, and Monte Attell was a well established champion.

Monte Attell's left eye was closed, and he appeared to have taken worse injuries than his opponent.

Monte Attell fought a six-round draw with Jewish boxer Louisiana, on February 11,1911, in Old City Hall in Pittsburgh.

Louisiana had the better of the outside boxing, showing great defense and ducking, but Monte Attell excelled at the infighting, as was typical of his style.

Monte Attell defeated Patsy Brannigan on December 14,1911, in a close six-round newspaper decision at Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh.

Monte Attell was reviewed by the Pittsburgh Post as having cleaner, more telling blows, and though he allowed Brannigan to do most of the leading in the bout, he countered effectively and the blows he landed were harder than his opponents.

Monte Attell first fought Johnny Kilbane, future world featherweight champion from 1912 to 1923, on March 24,1911, drawing in ten rounds in Cleveland, Ohio.

Monte Attell fought very aggressively and got in left slams to the body as well as stiff counterpunches to Kilbane's face.

On December 3,1912, losing to Kilbane in a ninth-round technical knockout in Cleveland, Ohio, Monte Attell was down more than six times before the police ordered the bout stopped to prevent a knockout.

Kilbane became the aggressor in the second round and for much of the remainder of the bout, Monte Attell had to cover up to save himself from Kibane's fierce attack.

Sometime in 1914, Monte Attell incurred an eye injury that became infected, and eventually resulted in a loss of sight in the eye.

Monte Attell lost to Young Zulu Kid on June 24,1916, in a ten-round newspaper decision of the New York Evening Telegram at the Fairmont Athletic Club in The Bronx.

Monte Attell fought top-rated boxer Frankie Britt near the end of his career on September 15,1916, losing in a third-round knockout in Boston.

Tellingly, though not unusual for an aging boxer in the era, particularly one with vision problems, Monte Attell lost nineteen of twenty-four bouts between February 7,1912, and October 30,1916, near the end of his boxing career.

Monte Attell initially retired from boxing in 1916, largely as the result of an eye infection that eventually led to his going blind in the eye.

Monte Attell had lost most of his vision in the other eye as a result of injuries sustained during his fight with Owen Moran in May 1905.

Monte Attell received a terrific lacing in the fifth, and appeared to be behind on points in every round, before he was put down for the count in the sixth by his opponent.

Monte Attell was married to wife Mary, formerly Mary Forman, but had no children of their own.

Monte Attell died in 1960 at his home on South Court in Palo Alto.

Monte Attell was elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.