Name: JOSEPH WILLIAM (JOE) BAKSI
Born: 14 January 1922
Died: 6 August 1977 Aged 55
Career: 1940 to 1954
Record: 73 fights, 61 wins (30 by KO/TKO), 9 losses (1 by KO/TKO), 3 draws.
Division Heavyweight
Stance: Orthodox
Titles: World Heavyweight champion (recognised only by British Boxing Board of Control)
Major Contests
Scored wins over: Gus Dorazio, Tami Mauriello*, Lee Savold (twice) **, Gunnar Barlund, Lou Nova*, Freddie Mills**, Bruce Woodcock*,
Lost against: Gus Dorazio, Lee Savold **, Lee Oma*, Jersey Joe Walcott**, Olle Tandberg, Ezzard Charles **, Bob Baker.
Drew with: Draws were in minor bouts early in his carer
**Past/ future holder of a version of a world title
* Unsuccessful challenger for a version of a world title
Joe Baksi’s Story
He was born in a small borough in Northumberland County in the coal mining area of Pennsylvania. His parents came from Slovakia where Baksi’s father had worked in the mines. Natural progression would have had Baksi going down the mines as well and he did work as a miner for a while but he turned to boxing to escape that future. He boxed in three round non-professional fights before the main events in and around the New York area. Baksi has his first professional fight in June 1940 and in his tenth fight won a four round decision over Jack Brazzo. Jack Brazzo!!. Brazzo went into films and made his name there as Jack Palance. Baksi spent his first three years fighting four, six and eight round fights at small venues compiling a 30-1-3 record only losing a six round decision to Ted Wint. In 1943 he finally moved up to ten round fights and went 5-1 that year winning and losing against 80-fight veteran Gus Dorazio. His big chance of a breakthrough came in February 1944 as he was matched with world No 2 Tami Mauriello in Madison Square Garden( MSG). Mauriello was a 5 to 11 favourite and there was a crowd of over 16,000 watching. Baksi made a sensational start flooring Mauriello for a nine count with a left hook at the end of the first round. Mauriello was tough and he got up and fought back hard but Baksi won a unanimous decision. He did not rest on his laurels but juist thirteen days later was a back at MSG facing rated Lee Savold but lost a split decision. He faced Savold again at MSG on 26 May winning over twelve rounds in what was billed as a title eliminator. The fight was scored by rounds and Baksi won 11-1,10-2 and 9-3. He faced Savold again in August in Chicago and took a majority decision.
His chances of a title fight looked good but in January 1945, despite having a 26 lbs advantage in weight, he suffered an upset loss against Lee Oma in front of almost 17,000 at MSG. Baksi bounced back with wins over other rated fighters Gunnar Barlund and Lou Nova but suffered defeats against Jersey Joe Walcott and Jimmy Bell before return to the MSG just 25 days after the Jimmy Bell loss to outpointed 38-0-1 Freddie Schott.
He did not fight again until August 1946 scoring three inside the distance wins in 35 days. He then got the call to come to London to face future light heavyweight champion Freddie Mills on 5 November 1946. Mills had been fighting at light heavyweight. He was conceding 27 lbs and suffered a bad cut in the second round of the fight. The weight difference and the cut proved too much for Mills to concede and he retired at the end of the sixth round. Baksi was asked back to London in April 1947 to face Bruce Woodcock. Wins over Mills and Gus Lesnevich had sparked rumours of a title fight for Woodcock but Baksi scuppered those. He had Woodcock down three times in the first round and twice in the second before the referee came in to save Woodcock in the seventh.
The talk of a fight with Joe Louis started up again in earnest and again Baksi managed to blow the chance. He took a fight with Swede Ollie Tanberg in Stockholm on 6 July 1947 which did not look like much of a risk. Tandberg had a modest 16-4-1 record and was nowhere near being rated. In a fight in April Tandberg had weighed just 174 ½ lbs and he came in at 208 ¾ lbs for this fight 5 lbs heavier than Baksi. Tandberg took a split decision which was highly controversial but talk of a fight with Joe Louis faded away.
Baksi faced Ezzard Charles in MSG in December 1948 but with a cut over his left eye and heavy swelling around the same eye Baksi’s vision was badly affected and in the eleventh round he himself asked the referee to stop the fight. In 73 fights against some of the best heavyweights in nthe world this was the only time that Baksi lost inside the distance. He fought on scoring eight wins against modest opposition before losing on points to Bob Baker in May 1954.
During the Baker fight Baksi’s manager Leo Feureisen collapsed at the ringside and died in the dressing room a short time later. With the loss to Baker and the sudden death of his manager Baksi decided to retire from boxing. He then became a teamster and later an ironworker and a member of the International Brotherhood of Ironworkers. He suffered a heart attack in Albany and died 6 August 1977,