Eli “Ted” Hanover
From East Baltimore’s immigrant streets to “Mr. Boxing in Baltimore” —
a life of grit, family, and fight.
Life & Legacy
Eli “Ted” Hanover was born in East Baltimore to Romanian and Russian Jewish immigrants and raised in a close-knit Orthodox household near Patterson Park. In a Yiddish-speaking family of modest means, faith, tradition, and mutual support shaped daily life.
After a brief but spirited run in the ring, global events redirected his path. During the Second World War, Eli enlisted in the U.S. Merchant Marine and spent more than a decade at sea, sailing in hazardous convoys and visiting ports around the world under the banner of the Seafarers International Union. When he returned to Baltimore, he worked as a union organizer on the docks, advocating for better conditions for working seamen.
This site is curated by the family of Eli “Ted” Hanover as a lasting memorial to his life and work. It honors a man who spent much of his career at sea, in the gym teaching young fighters, or on the streets promoting the next big card, yet remained rooted in his family, his community, his Jewish heritage, and his country.
This is a place for stories — of grit, family, faith, and the “Fighttown” Baltimore once was.
Explore Eli’s World
Choose a path to begin the story of his life, work, and city.
Early Years & Family
Childhood in East Baltimore, immigrant roots, and a large Orthodox Jewish family.
Boxing & Promotion
From featherweight bouts to keeping Baltimore’s boxing scene alive as a promoter.
Baltimore & “The Block”
A forthcoming look at the harbor, nightlife, and the city that framed Eli’s story.
In loving memory of a beloved father, husband, and community leader, whose legacy and faith live on and grow through this site.