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Storyline here was the continued dominance of Abe Attell, as well as the parity among the remaining fighters in the division as former greats such as Terry McGovern, Harry Lyons and Young Corbett continue to age.

WBA Title Fights

Abe Attell CH (41-2-1) vs Young Corbett #2 (34-14-1)

Attell's 8th successive defense is against ex-WBA champ and current NABF title-holder Corbett, whom Abe defeated via SD in their only prior encounter. Corbett, however, is no longer at Prime, and that proves to be a factor as Attell starts out strong, taking round 1 and thwarting Corbett's efforts when the latter tries to take the initiative. The bout ends quickly when Abe connects with a right cross in the 5th to fell Corbett for the count. Attell by KO 5.

Abe Attell CH (42-2-1) vs Billy Snailham #4 (24-13-2)

Attell has a prior win versus Snailham, who is fighting for the WBA belt for the first time. Both men are cautious in the early rounds, and some swelling around the eye of the Lil Champ by the end of round 2 gave Snailham a boost of confidence. Snailham works inside in the next few rounds, doing well until Attell nailed him with a combination late in round 4. Attell continues with a strong 5th and 6th, and by round 7 it is Snailham's right eye that needs some ice. A big hook by Attell puts Snailham down near the end of round 8. In round 9, a last-gasp effort by the tiring challenger is met with a cross by Attell for the bout's second KD and then Abe ends it with a barrage late in the round. (NOTE: The point-tracker had Attell at 40 when Snailham was counted out.) Attell by KO 9.

Abe Attell CH (43-2-1) vs Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan #1 (37-12-2)

Attell holds a 2-1 career mark versus Sullivan, the most recent being a TKO win two years prior to the bout. Attell gets off first, tagging Tommy in the 3rd with a right cross for the bout's first KD. Good ring movement and counterpunching keep Attell on top, but Brooklyn Tommy keeps it close when he stunds the champ in the 7th with a strong cross. Attell's right eye then starts swelling, as this time the Champ is in for a battle. Abe comes back with a hard left hook to stun Sullivan in round 9, and there is noticeable swelling under the left eye of Brooklyn Tommy after a huge round for Attell. Attell takes a points lead into the late rounds but a game Sullivan sticks around to make the final count surprisingly close. Attell by UDS 15 (143-142 on all three cards).

Abe Attell CH (44-2-1) vs Percy Cove #3 (22-9-2)

Abe comes in having won 12 in a row for his first meeting with the Canadian who holds the CBU title belt. Cove is able to land some meaningful blows early, but it is once again Attell who manages to keep the challenger off balance while scoring well. Cove's lip is split in round 10 and Abe turns in another masterful performance to register an easy UD 15 win.

NABF: Corbett defends versus another aging veteran, Bernstein, against whom he is 3-1 lifetime. Corbett puts Joe down with a nice uppercut in round 2 but Joe recovers well, and "The Pride of the Bowery" takes the NABF title when a severe cut opens over Corbett's eye, forcing a stoppage. Bernstein by TKO 10 (cut). Bernstein then defends against the ex-USBA champ, Jimmy Walsh, and rips open an early cut over the challenger's right eye in the initial round -- the cut proves decisive as it is reopened and gradually worsens to cause a late round stoppage event though Walsh had Bernstein on the canvas. Bernstein by TKO 11 (cuts).

USBA: Walsh defends the USBA title against a very tough foe in the youthful Johnny Kilbane. Kilbane's long-range bombs find their target and result in swelling about Walsh's right eye after the first four rounds. The bout is fairly close, with plenty of sharp exchanges, and a late 12th round KD by Kilbane proves decisive as he wins a 12-round split decision. Kilbane elects to defend against Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan, and another close bout ensues. Sullivan starts well, forcing Kilbane to cover up in round 1. Kilbane does well in the middle rounds but is forced to battle a gradually swelling right eye. A late rally by Brooklyn Tommy is enough to win a MD 12 verdict.

CBU: Canadian Percy Cove defended against previously unbeaten Aussie prospect, Jimmy Hill, who clearly lacked the experience or ring savvy to stay with Cove. Hill was cut early and Cove went on to a TKO 7 win.

GBU: Veteran Brit Owen Moran had a challenger for the first time since 1908 when he took on previously-unbeaten prospect Billy Elliott. Moran built an early points lead when the challenger stunned him in the 6th. In the later rounds, though, it was all Moran as Elliott tired. Moran by UD 12.

EBU: Italian Patsy Kline and Britain's Billy Elliott fight for the inaugural EBU FW belt. Elliott had KO'd Kline in a prior bout but a recent win over aging vet Benny Soloman gave Kline some confidence coming into the clash. After several close early rounds Elliott pulled ahead by establishing his jab in round 5. Kline tired early, and Elliott stepped up the pace to take a UD12 win and a new title.

Jan. 1911 Rankings (Perf Pts and changes from 1910 in parens):

Champ: Abe Attell 45-2-1 (19) (1456) (NC)
1. Brooklyn Tommy Sullivan 37-13-2 (22) (842) (+2)
2. Johnny Kilbane 17-2-1 (10) (763) (+6)
3. Eddie O'Keefe 17-1 (12) (762) (new)
4. Percy Cove 22-10-2 (8) (741) (NC)
5. Grover Hayes 28-7 (20) (710) (+1)
6. Harry Lyons 51-15-2 (26) (709) (-5)
7. Jimmy Walsh 21-8-1 (6) (659) (+4)
8. Billy Snailham 24-15-2 (11) (639) (-3)
9. Owen Moran 31-11 (15) (636) (-2)
10. Joe Bernstein 35-22-2 (16) (635) (+4)

Comments: The gap between Attell and everyone else is probably as great as any time since I have been tracking the Perf Pts data. O'Keefe makes an impressive debut after a very busy year in which he foguht 9 times, ringing up wins over Love, Moran, Crowe, Decker, Snailham and Lyons before his first loss, a SD10 verdict against Kilbane. Walsh reached the top 10 with wins over Moran, Santry and Lyons but stumbled in losses to Kilbane and Bernstein. A resurgent Bernstein claimed the NABF belt and won three in a row versus Santry, Corbett and Walsh before a setback SD 10 loss to Moran. Dropping out of the top group for the first time in a long while were Terry McGovern, who fell from #9 to #11, losing to Lyons; Corbett, whose 0-3 record in 1910 meant a tumble from #2 to #12; and Herrera, whose TKO loss to McGovern placed him at #13, down from #10 last year. Checking in at #14 was the newly-crowned EBU titleholder, Billy Elliott, with a 11-1 (6) mark and 521 pp. (Elliott is the major exception to the 15 bouts to get rated rule.) No TCs had good enough records to merit a ranking.

Prospects: Aside from Elliott, who claimed a title in his 12th bout, there is Aussie Jimmy Hill, who sports a 12-2 (1) mark after suffering his second loss to Kid Julian (the first one being to Cove in the CBU Title tilt). Julian has come back with 6 wins in a row to run his record to 10-1-1 (4), and he may be a future EBU title contender. Aussie Joe Russell is now 8-0 (4), all versus TCs. Patsy Brannigan is 7-0-1 (4), the only blemish being a draw with Julian. Ty Cobb is 8-3 (4). Topping the list of the newer guys is George KO Chaney with 4 wins, all by KO, and Johnny Dundee, who is also 4-0 with 2 KOs. Tommy Dixon recovered from two earlier draws to remain unbeaten at 4-0-2 (1). Enrique Criqui, a real-life FW champ, started out at 3-0 (2).

Looking Ahead: Kilbane, now that he has 20 bouts under his belt, is at Prime and perhaps the logical guy to perhaps take the title from Attell. O'Keefe has done well , much better than expected, but has yet to face the pressure cooker of a real tough title fight. Julian may challenge for the EBU belt and Hill may make another try at the CBU crown. Two slated to debut in 1911 are Battling Reddy and Steve Sullivan.

Division Profile: 69 total boxers, 34 real-life and 35 TCs
RL by Career Stage: End-3 (McGovern, Santry and Soloman); Post-7; Prime-8 (all in Top 10); Pre-9; Beginning-7 (2-newcomers)
Rated: 21
800+: 2
500+: 15
200+: 20

Retirement:

Jimmy Devine (USA) 1897-1910 25-27-3 (19) No Titles