He won a unanimous decision. His victory advanced him to be ranked 4th in the N.B.A rankings, behind champion Joe Louis, and boxers Billy Conn and Jimmy Bivins. Baksi went on to beat Savold again on August 7, 1944. In his next fight, Baksi defeated Finnish boxer Gunnar Baerlund (GeeBee) and then scheduled a fight with his former sparring partner Lee Oma on January 28, 1945. Oma, unknown six months previously, gained fame by putting up a spirited fight against Mauriello in September. Oma lost that fight but earned a rematch in December, which he won. Still, Baksi was a 1-3 favorite to beat Oma. He had a 25-pound advantage over Oma, and corresponding advantages in height, reach, and punching power. But he lacked mental alertness that night, having suffered a cold over the last several days before the fight. He made a late comeback in the fight, but lost the fight by a unanimous decision. Baksi went on to win a unanimous decision against Lou Nova on March 30, flooring Nova in the fourth round with a left hook to the ribs that kept Nova down for a count of nine. Baksi was now the second ranked (wartime) heavyweight. He scored easy decisions against Lee Dixie Oliver and Larry Lane, and then fought a thirty-one-year-old Jersey Joe Walcott. Walcott had lost earlier bouts with world-class professionals, and was an underdog against Baksi. But Walcott won, scoring 6-3-1 on the single referees scorecard. Walcott's dancing and dodging allowed him to escape Baksi's reach, and he was able to get in enough hooks to make Baksi groggy. Baksi lost his next fight with Jimmy Bell (a split decision in which Baksi was penalized two rounds for a low blow), but then racked up four easy wins before traveling to Europe. Europe and back Baksi left for Europe on October 9, 1946 to fight the two British champions. He first defeated British light heavy weight champion Freddie Mills. Baksi was sluggish in the first round, but Mills (who had chronic eye problems) suffered a cut in his right eye in the second round, and his left eye in the third. After a bad battering, Mills gave up at the end of the sixth round. Baksi then went on to fight British heavyweight champion Bruce Woodcock. Baksi floored Woodcock three times in the first round and twice in the second. Woodcock made a