1939–1940 · Featherweight
Eli Ted Hanover under the Carlin’s Park lights
At eighteen, Eli Ted Hanover climbed the small ring at Carlin’s Amusement Park and fought eight times in less than six months, building a 7–1 record with three stoppage wins in front of dockworkers, neighborhood kids, and Baltimore’s tight-knit boxing crowd.
Baltimore · a boxing city
From local park shows to a lifelong place in the sport
Before casinos and pay-per-view, Baltimore fight fans flocked to outdoor parks, armories, and neighborhood halls for boxing the way they now fill stadiums for football.
Carlin’s Park in East Baltimore was one of those places, where carnival rides and concession stands shared space with a small ring under the lights; when Eli boxed there as a featherweight between 1939 and 1940, he was part of a scene that mixed longshoremen, merchant marines, and kids from the rowhouses who believed their hands could carry them somewhere new.
After just under a year, Eli’s record stood at seven wins and a single loss, and three of those wins had come by knockout or technical knockout; even so, his father, shaken by how dangerous the sport could be, asked him to leave fighting behind and focus on safer ways to provide for the family.
Pro record · 1939–1940
Eight bouts at Carlin’s Park
Every contest listed here took place at Carlin’s Park in Baltimore, Maryland; together they add up to 8 bouts, 7 wins, 1 loss, and three stoppage victories for Eli Ted Hanover.
Read this list as a short story in eight chapters: the shock of a debut loss, the stubborn rematches, and the string of wins that convinced an eighteen-year-old he belonged in the ring even as his father worried about the price.
Carlin’s Park sessions · Aug 1939 – Jan 1940
21 Aug 1939 · Bout 1
Debut vs Nick Longo · loss on points
Eli’s professional debut came against fellow featherweight Nick Longo; over four rounds Longo edged him on points, a hard lesson in how different the paid ranks felt from gym sparring and a defeat Eli refused to let define him.
18 Sep 1939 · Bout 2
First rematch with Longo · win on points
Just four weeks later Eli met Longo again at Carlin’s Park and this time turned the tables, boxing a sharper fight and earning a points decision that showed he could adjust, learn, and answer back after a loss.
02 Oct 1939 · Bout 3
Rubber match with Longo · TKO win
In their third straight meeting, Eli stopped Longo by technical knockout, closing the rivalry with authority and proving to Baltimore fans that the kid from a religious Jewish family could punch as well as out-box.
16 Oct 1939 · Bout 4
George Vlahos I · points win
Two weeks later Eli faced George Vlahos, another regular on the Baltimore cards; over four rounds he worked his way to a points victory, showing he could carry momentum from one opponent to the next.
30 Oct 1939 · Bout 5
Sid Levine · points win
By late October Eli was fighting nearly every other week; against Sid Levine he again went the distance and won on points, tightening his defense and ring craft while the crowds at Carlin’s grew more familiar with his name.
04 Dec 1939 · Bout 6
El Sabina · first-round knockout
In early December Eli met debuting fighter El Sabina and finished the bout quickly, scoring a knockout in the first of four scheduled rounds; for a young featherweight, a clean KO on a winter night at the park was the kind of memory that stayed with you.
22 Jan 1940 · Bout 7
George Vlahos II · points win
The new year opened with a return bout against George Vlahos, whom Eli again out-pointed over four rounds; by now his record had swung from 0–1 to 6–1, and the regulars at Carlin’s Park knew what to expect when “Hanover” appeared on the bout sheet.
29 Jan 1940 · Bout 8
Lew Williams · final TKO win
Just a week later Eli faced Lew Williams and closed his short pro career with another stoppage, winning by technical knockout; soon afterward, at his father’s urging and with a growing sense of the sport’s risks, he left active fighting and turned his love for boxing toward training, promoting, and supporting others.
Clippings, honors, and where to read more
From BoxRec lines to Baltimore memories
Newspaper clippings and record books only tell part of the story; below are the core references for Eli’s eight fights and the later recognition he earned as a promoter and veteran of Baltimore’s boxing scene.
Records & articles
- Pro Record (1939–1940): BoxRec profile for Eli Hanover and BoxerList summary — 8 bouts at Carlin’s Park, 7 wins, 1 loss, featherweight.
- Promoter Listings (1975 events): BoxRec promoter page — cards at Steelworkers Hall (Baltimore) and the Capitol Centre (Largo/Landover).
- “Eli Hanover Award” (news mention): Washington Post feature noting the award named for the late Baltimore fight promoter — “Still Shadowboxing Against Time,” June 12, 1985.
- Radio Features — The Block & the Gym: Gil Sandler’s WYPR stories about Eli and his dream of “Fighttown Baltimore” — Encore (2018) • Feature (2021).
- Veteran Boxers Association (Ring 101): Overview and community history — see Eli as a promoter for more on his later work in the ring.
- Context — Baltimore’s Jewish boxing era: Jmore: “Golden Era of Jewish Boxing” • Jewish Museum of Maryland blog.