What qualifies a boxing historian 'n who's best?

I ran into Bert Sugar at the Teddy Atlas affair 10 days ago. I saw him signing autographs so I left him be. Later he saw my wife Joyce and asked her where I was, so he came over with her. A little while later the President of the Boxing Writers Association of Almeria, Jack Hirsch came over as well and told Bert that I was taking Hank Haplan's place as the Boxing Historian of the BWAA. Bert told him that that was a Great choice, it made me fell very honored that he approved.

While I was talking to Bert, he told me that the book he and Teddy Atlas was working on is coming out very shortly. It's a book of lists on boxing.

 

Peter Heller spoke of just missing interviewing Abe Attel in his seminal book "In This Corner"
You wish someone like Kap had started this back say in the 50s

 

Slaaka, I once when very young saw Abe Attell, while looking in the window of his bar on Bwy, a few blocks North of Jack Dempsey's restaurant..He looked like an old jockey with a busted schnozz.
When TV first came out. I would watch the fights on the small screen, and see Abe Attell in the audience, rolling with every punch, bobbing and
weaving, just like he was fighting...My dad and I would laugh at this..Many times i saw this as the camera would focus on Attell doing this.
Attell was one of the best little man that ever lived,and a character from
Guys and Dolls casting...

 

Sweet pea and mantequilla were the best, unfortunately neither posts any longer.

 

:goodIf Bert Sugar said it. It happened!

 

Addendum- In the widow of Abe Attells bar, there was an oversized photo
of Abe Attell and Harlem Tommy Murphy ,both absolutely drenched in blood...What a gory sight for people passing the window...If I recall there was a pair of thin boxing gloves,he wore in that afternoon bloodbath....

 

I wish that some of our resident historians, would post a few guidelines for people who aspired to go down the same path!

 

I love hearing stuff like this. Thanks for sharing BB!

Billy Conn's son Tim told me that Billy never liked it when Attell was around(I can't remember if it was around Billy's training camp specifically or just around in general). Billy always said "There's just something shady about that guy. I don't trust him."

Made me think of Attell's being a part of the whole Black Sox scandal.

 

doug fischer

 

I could understand billy Conn's son feeling uneasy when Abe Attell was around...After the Black Sox scandal, Attell was tainted much like Pete Rose was in baseball. But he was a character for sure, and one of boxing's
very best featherweights of alltime...

 

Than what is Davey Moore lacking to be in the hall? No not the one Duran beat.

 

Wow, I never knew Wilde had a draw with Jack Sharkey. Who cares if he ko Joe and Billy. That draw alone puts Wilde on top of the boxing gods.

 

Like the time when he mention that Marciano Charles II, were after the Rock's nose was ripped in 2, Al use sidewalk cement to hold Marciano's nose.

 

He only went against one Hall of Famer and we all know what happened in that bout. He was also stopped by Carlos Hernandez who only had 14 bouts at the time. The other thing is that his name is not on the ballot.

 

Yea, I would agree But he didn't beat the real Papke, Gans or Sharkey.