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. The decision was not popular with the crowd, and the police stepped into the ring to protect the boxers. 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 Attell, who showed better defensive ringcraft. By the tenth round, Attell's right eye was a frequent object of Daly's who connected with two lefts.