comeback in the fifth, but Baksi was scoring at will when the referee stopped it in the seventh. Woodcock went to the hospital with a broken jaw. After defeating Woodcock, Baksi was scheduled to fight Joe Louis for the world heavyweight title. Baksi, still in Europe after the Woodcock fight, signed a contract to fight the Swedish champion, Olle Tandberg in Stockholm. Baksi was the 1-5 favorite to beat Tandberg, and 1-3 favorite to knock him out by the seventh round. Baksi was going into the ring with 6 straight victories (five by knockout), while Tandberg had been fighting only since 1943, and only against local fighters. Then, in what the New York Times reported as the greatest upset in years, Baksi lost a split decision. Even Tandberg was surprised, saying after the fight "I didn't believe I had won the fight. I thought I was too much on the defensive in the closing rounds." After his stunning defeat, Baksi took a year off. He was still the third ranked heavyweight contender, behind Jersey Joe Walcott and Ezzard Charles, and ahead of Lee Savold, when he scheduled a fight with Ezzard Charles. The winner of that fight would have a title match with Joe Louis. Charles, the 5-14 favorite, defeated Baksi by TKO in the seventh. Later career After being beaten by Charles, his status as a contender faded. After beating some obscure and aging boxers, he went into semi-retirement in 1951. He then made a comeback attempt in 1954, fighting Billy Smith, whom he knocked out in the first round. His second match was with a tougher opponent, Bob "The Grinder" Baker, who was the 7-5 favorite. Baksi had little to offer except courage and stamina, and lost by unanimous decision. Baksi's manager, Leo Feureisen, collapsed during the fight and died in the dressing room a short while after. Baksi went into permanent retirement after the bout. He then became a teamster and later an ironworker and joined the International Brotherhood of Ironworkers. Trivia In the book Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, several of the characters use the phrase Joe Baksi to refer to a taxi, an example of rhyming slang used frequently throughout the UK. References Sources MAURIELLO CHOICE TO VANQUISH BAKSI; Bronx Heavyweight Rated 5-7 Edge in Ten-Round Bout at the Garden Tonight Baksi Outpoints Mauriello in 10-Round Upset Before 16,015 Fans at Garden; BRONX BOXER LOSES HEAVYWEIGHT