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Abraham Washington Attell (born February 22, 1884
in San Francisco, California, United States –
died February 6, 1970 in New Paltz (village), New
York|New Paltz, New York), better known in the
boxing world as Abe Attell, was a boxing|boxer who
became known for his involvement in scandals as
well as for his long period as world Featherweight
champion. His 18 defenses of that world title were
a division record until Eusebio Pedroza broke it
in 1985.

Attell was a member of a Jewish family, but he
grew up in an Irish neighborhood. Because of that,
he often found himself involved in fights, and
according to him, he would get involved in as many
as 10 bouts each day as a kid. Attell's father
abandoned his family when Attell was 13, and
Attell had to find a job selling newspapers to
support his family. He used to sell them on the
streets and corners, and while selling newspapers,
he got a chance to witness the fight between Solly
Smith and George Dixon for the world's
Featherweight championship. With that, Attell and
two of his brothers were convinced that maybe they
had a future in boxing.

Attell's first fight was on August 19, 1900, when
he knocked out Kid Lennett in two rounds. His
mother, who strongly opposed Attell's idea of
being a boxer, later became one of Attell's
staunchest supporters, even betting on her son to
win. 

Attell won ten fights in a row by knockout and
later moved to Denver, Colorado, where he met
Dixon for the world's Feathrweight championship in
1903, when Attell was 18/ He beat Dixon by a
decision in fifteen rounds, and became world
Featherweight champion. He lost the crown in his
second defense, being knocked out in five rounds
by Tommy Sullivan. However, he regained the crown
from Sullivan by beating him in their rematch by
knockout. Attell then went on his streak of 18
defenses in a row. He beat, among others, Battling
Nelson and Johnny Kilbane during that streak.

During his time as a world champion, Attell was
allegedly involved with Mafia|mafioso Arnold
Rothstein. According to some legends, they became
very good friends during this period.

Attell went on to lose his world Featherweight
title to Kilbane in 1912, losing by a 20 round
decision, in a fight of which Kilbane declared
that Attell's handlers put a substance on Attell's
glove to make Kilbane blind. According to live
witnesses, Attell also tried an assortment of
other illegal methods to win the fight. 

On July 4, 1913, Attell accidentally hit the
referee on the face during a win against Willie
Beecher. He finally retired in 1917.

Attell was involved in one of sport's  largest
scandals of all time, when he was signaled, in
1920, as the messenger between Rothstein and
players of the Chicago White Sox baseball
organization, during the planning stages of the
alleged match fixing|fix of the 1919 World Series,
also known as the Black Sox scandal. Attell's name
made it back to the newspaper headlines, and he
along with Rothstein and many White Sox players,
were formally accused of many charges, including
fixing the event. All were eventually found not
guilty but banned from participating in baseball
activities. As a consequence, Attell is, alongside
Rothstein, Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose, one
of the few people banned from joining the Baseball
Hall of Fame and Museum. He was, however, a member
of the original boxing Hall of Fame, a member of
the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the San Francisco
Boxing Hall of Fame, and of the International
Boxing Hall Of Fame. In the latter, he was
inducted as a member of their original class, in
1990.

Attell subsequently denied being involved in any
talks about fixing the series, and he alleged that
the wrong Abe Attell was accused when he was
accused.

Attell had a record of 92 wins, 10 losses, 18
draws and 45 no-decisions, with 51 wins by
knockout, making him a member of Ring Magazine's
list of fghters with 50 or more knockout wins.