Monte Attell
| Monte Attell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | The Knob Hill Terror |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
July 28, 1885 San Francisco, California |
| Died | November 11, 1960 (aged 75) San Francisco, California |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 131 |
| Wins | 66 |
| Wins by KO | 29 |
| Losses | 41 |
| Draws | 23 |
| No contests | 1 |
Monte Attell (July 28, 1885 – November 11, 1960), born in San Francisco, California, United States, was an American boxer who took the vacant World Bantamweight title on June 19, 1909 by defeating the 1904 bantamweight title holder Frankie Neil.
In his career he faced bantamweight champion Jimmy Reagan in title defenses, and after losing his title, Frankie Britt, and Johnny Kilbane.
As a poor Jewish kid of diminutive stature raised in a tough Irish neighborhood, Attell began his career as a fighter from a very early age. As his older brother Abe Attell (1884–1970) was the Featherweight Champion of the World during the same period, Monte and Abe became the first brothers to simultaneously hold world boxing titles. Their brother, Caesar, also fought and was called "Two and a Half," for always giving that amount whenever the hat was passed for charity at boxing events. Like his brother Abe, Monte spent some of his youth and likely some of his later life selling newspapers for a living. At the age of 14, Attell was treated for burns to the face and hands from a childhood accident with a toy cannon which may have contributed to his decline as a boxer as he aged.
From fighting for survival in the streets, Monte Attell turned professional by 1902, winning his first five bouts. He lost several of his early bouts, but between February 1906 and May 1909, he won ten continuous matches. His performance earned him a chance to fight for the vacant Bantamweight championship in 1909.
On March 29, 1905, 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. One source noted that Walsh, "had the better of the bout from the start", and that the blow which occurred two minutes into the sixth round was accidental. 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.
On June 19, 1909, Monte Attell won the World Bantamweight title defeating Frankie Neil at Coffroth's Arena, in Colma, California. According to W. W. Naughton writing for the Oakland Tribune, Attell won every round of the eighteen round bout, which was ended by a full left blow to the chin of Frankie Neil. Neil reportedly "took a terrible mauling without flinching." Neil had last held the title in 1904, before losing it to British bantamweight Joe Bowker.
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