On This Day In Boxing History!

1994: “Jersey” Joe Walcott Passes!

Joe Walcott was born Arnold Raymond Cream on January 31st, 1914, in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey, the fifth of twelve children. His father, Joseph Cream, was an immigrant from St. Thomas in the Danish West Indies; his mother, Ella, was a New Jersey native. The family settled in the Camden area, and young Arnold grew up shaped by modest means and hard work.

His father, who taught him the basics of boxing in the yard, died when Walcott was approximately 15 years old. The loss was a turning point. Walcott left school and went to work at the Campbell Soup factory in Camden to help support his mother and 11 siblings. It was a childhood defined by early responsibility and by an already-simmering love of the fight game.

He adopted the ring name "Jersey Joe Walcott" in tribute to his boxing idol, Joe Walcott, the "Barbados Demon," a turn-of-the-century welterweight champion. He added "Jersey" to distinguish himself from his hero and to honor his home state.

Walcott turned professional on September 9, 1930, at age 16, knocking out Eddie "Cowboy" Wallace in the first round in Vineland, New Jersey, for a purse of $7.50. That debut launched a career that would span more than two decades, though the road was anything but smooth.

In his early years, Walcott lacked consistent management and a structured training routine. He fought sporadically throughout the 1930s, juggling boxing with manual labor, hauling coal and ice, working the soup factory, to support his wife Lydia and their six children. He "retired" more than once out of sheer economic frustration, only to return when the family needed income.

His career reached a low point in 1940 when he was knocked out by heavyweight contender Abe Simon. He was inactive for more than four years during World War II, working in the Camden shipyards.

The turning point came in 1945, when local boxing manager Felix Bocchicchio, a well-connected figure despite a criminal history, took Walcott under his wing. Bocchicchio provided financial stability, professional trainers (brothers Nick and Dan Florio), and a real training regimen. Under their guidance, Walcott reinvented himself as one of the most technically sophisticated heavyweights of his era, defeating top contenders including Joe Baksi, Jimmy Bivins, Lee Oma, Curtis Sheppard, and Tommy Gómez.

Walcott was a stylist in a sport that often-celebrated brute force. He moved with deceptive footwork, used feints and angles to confuse opponents' timing, and possessed devastating counterpunching power. His signature "Walcott Shuffle," a rhythmic, luring foot movement, served as both entertainment and tactical weapon. Combined with a fluid shoulder-roll defense, his ring craft was decades ahead of its time and would go on to influence the styles of later greats, including Muhammad Ali.

By 1947, Walcott had risen to the rank of No. 1 heavyweight contender. On December 5, 1947, at Madison Square Garden, he challenged champion Joe "The Brown Bomber" Louis in what became one of the most debated bouts in heavyweight history.

Walcott floored Louis in Round 1 and again in Round 4. He outboxed the champion across much of the fight. Yet despite most ringside observers and sportswriters scoring it for Walcott, he lost a controversial 15-round split decision. The lone official to vote for Walcott, referee Ruby Goldstein, was lauded publicly; the backlash was swift and loud.

In the rematch on June 25, 1948, at Yankee Stadium, Walcott again dropped Louis, this time in the third round. But Louis rallied and stopped Walcott by knockout in Round 11. Across both fights, Walcott knocked the champion down three times and came agonizingly close to the title.

When Louis retired, Walcott pursued the vacant title through Ezzard Charles. He lost their first meeting in 1949 by 15-round decision, and lost a rematch in March 1951, also by decision. His fifth attempt at the heavyweight championship came on July 18, 1951, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

This time, it was different.

Walcott knocked out Charles in the seventh round. At 37 years old, he became the oldest man in history to win the heavyweight championship of the world. He had been a 9-to-1 underdog. The Ring magazine named it the Fight of the Year for 1951.

Walcott defended his title once, outpointing Charles in an immediate rematch in 1952 via 15-round decision. Then came Rocky Marciano.

Their first meeting, on September 23, 1952, produced one of boxing's most dramatic moments. Walcott floored Marciano with a sharp left hook in Round 1. He controlled the fight through Round 12, seemingly on the verge of successfully defending his title. Then, in the 13th round, Marciano landed a short, devastating right hand, later nicknamed the "Suzie Q," and stopped Walcott on the canvas. It was a shocking, come-from-behind knockout that has become legendary in the sport.

In their rematch on May 15, 1953, Marciano ended matters quickly, stopping Walcott in the first round. Walcott retired following the loss.

His final professional record stood at 51 wins, 18 losses, and 2 draws, with 32 knockouts across a 23-year career.

After retiring from the ring, Walcott remained a presence in boxing circles and in public life. He refereed major bouts, including the controversial 1965 rematch between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston, a bout that ended abruptly in the first round amid claims of a "phantom punch." Walcott's handling of the count drew widespread criticism, and he was not asked to referee at the championship level again.

He also appeared in several films and television productions, including a role in the 1956 boxing drama The Harder They Fall, starring Humphrey Bogart.

In 1971, Walcott was elected Sheriff of Camden County, New Jersey, serving until 1974. He was the first African American to hold that elected position in the county's history. He later served as chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission from 1975 to 1984.

Jersey Joe Walcott died on February 25, 1994, in Camden, New Jersey, from complications related to diabetes. He was 80 years old. His record as the oldest man to win the heavyweight title, set at age 37 in 1951, stood for more than 43 years, until George Foreman won the title at age 45 in November 1994, months after Walcott's passing.

He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, and into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013. A bronze statue of Walcott stands along the Camden Waterfront at Wiggins Park Promenade, honoring both his boxing legacy and his role as a barrier-breaking public servant.

Walcott's story endures not just as a boxing tale but as something rarer: a portrait of perseverance so stubborn and complete it borders on the inspirational. He fought in poverty, fought in obscurity, fought past the age when most men hang up the gloves and then became champion of the world.

Jersey Joe Walcott

Born: January 31st, 1914

Birth Name: Arnold Raymond Cream

Birth Place: Pennsauken, New Jersey

Residence: Camden, New Jersey

Pro-Debut: September 9th, 1930

Division: Middleweight - Heavyweight

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 6′ 0″  

Reach: 74″ 

Record: 51-18-2, 32Ko’s

Bouts: 71

Rounds: 476

Ko’s: 45%

Died: Age 80, February 25th, 1994 

February 25th

1901: Joe Choynski KO3 Jack Johnson- boxing illegal in Texas both boxers are arrested for engaging in an illegal contest spend 23 days in jail together during which Choynski impressed by Johnson's skill told him "A man who can move like you should never have to take a punch" determined to teach Johnson everything he knew as a boxer and 7 years later Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion of the world.

1928: Bushy Graham W15 Corp. Izzy Schwartz

Gipsy Ganiels KO1 Max Schmeling

1946: Jersey Joe Walcott W10 Jimmy Bivins

Manuel Ortiz KO13 Luis Castillo

Carl "Bobo" Olson KO3 Delaware Bradby

Aaron Perry W10 Fritzie Zivic

Phil Palmer W10 Lenny Mancini

1955: Sandy Saddler W15 Teddy (Red Top) Davis

1956: Jean Renard W12 Pierre Cossemyns (

Tiberio Mitri W10 Jean Ruellet

Bruno Visitin W10 Morlay Kamara

Sugar Boy Nando W10 Ivelaw

Kenny Lane W10 Ike Vaughn

Yama Bahama W10 Carlo Sarlo

1963: Rocky Gattelari KO7 Jackie Treschman

Robert Cleroux KO6 Garvin Sawyer

Yvon Durelle KO7 Cecil Gray

Sugar Ray Robinson KO4 Bernie Reynolds

Vicente Rivas W10 Daniel Berrios

Hector "Chino" Diaz W12 Alejandro Gonzalez

Joey Giardello W10 Wilf Greaves

Dave Charnley KO6 Joe "Old Bones" Brown

Eddie Perkins W10 Angel Robinson Garcia

Claude Saluden W10 Jean Josselin

Mike De John KO1 Earl Atley

Curtis Cokes KO5 Joey Parks

Joey Lopes W10 Henry Barrera

Randy Sandy W10 Mel Fulgham

Leotis Martin W6 Buddy Moore

1964: Cassius Clay KO7 Sonny Liston

1976: Jeff Chandler D4 Mike Dowling

Salvador Sanchez KO7 Javier Solis

1978: Carlos Zarate KO8 Albert Davila

Joey Olivo W10 Candy Iglesias

Lupe Pintor W10 Gerald Hayes

1984: Michael Spinks W12 Eddie Davis

Soon Chun Kwon Tech. Win12 Roger Castillo

1986: Azumah Nelson W12 Marcos Villasana

1989: Mike Tyson KO5 Frank Bruno

Julian Jackson KO8 Francisco DeJesus

Azumah Nelson KO12 Mario Martinez

Elly Pical W12 Mike Phelps

James "Buster" Douglas W10 Trevor Berbick

1990: Virgil Hill W12 David Vedder

1991: Greg Richardson W12 Raul Perez

1992: Genaro Hernandez W12 Omar Catari

1994: Jersey Joe Walcott passes age 80

1995: Mike McCallum KO7 Carl Jones

Nigel Benn KO10 Gerald McClellan

Hyung Chul Lee KO12 Tamonori Tamura

Anucha Phothong TKO3 Jerry Pahayahay

Chaiya Pothang TKO10 Pirus Boy, Rangsit

1997: Jose Bonilla KO7 Hiroki Ioka

2000: Medgoen 3-K Battery (AKA Medgoen Toyota; Medgoen Singsurat) W12 Masaki Kawabata

Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (AKA Pongsaklek Sitkanongsak) W8 Joven Simbajon

2004: Daisuke Naito KO2 Takahiro Uryu

Denkaosan Kaovichit W12 Celso Danggod, Samut Sakhon

2005: Omar "Lonito" Soto W12 Daniel Reyes

2006: Sugar Shane Mosley KO10 Fernando Vargas

Jhonny Gonzalez KO8 Mark Johnson

Edwin Valero set a new world record by winning his first 18 fights as a professional by first-round knockout (that record has since been broken by Tyrone Brunson)

2007: Jackson Osei Bonsu KO8 Nordine Mouchi

2009: Troy Ross KO4 Ehinomen Ehikhamenor

Rico Hoye W8 Akinyemi "AK 47" Laleye

Felix Cora, Jr, KO3 Tim Flamos

Ryan Coyne W6 Richard Gingras

Alfredo Escalera, Jr. KO6 Erick Vega

2010: Yodkhunpol Nakornluang (AKA Bandung Patavikorngym) W12 Jemmy Gobel

Suriyan Por Chokchai (formerly Petchpayarknum; now Sor Rungvisai) KO2 Agus Alor, Petchaboon

2011: Ana Julaton W10 Franchesca Alcanter

Sofiane Sebihi KO11 Vigan Mustafa

Nikola Sjekloca W12 Roberto Santos

Tomas Kovacs W12 Hamza Wandera, Nitra

2012: Alexander Povetkin MD12 Marco Huck

Adrien Broner TKO4 Eloy Perez

Erica Anabella Farias RTD6 Liliana Palmera

Delfine Persoon TKO5 Lucia Morelli

Mariana Juarez RTD4 Anastasia Toktaulova

Nathan Cleverly W12 Tommy Karpency

2017: Deontay Wilder TKO5 Gerald Washington

Jarrett Hurd TKO9 Tony Harrison

Rey Vargas MD12 Gavin McDonnell

Caleb Plant W10 Thomas Awimbono

Dominic Breazeale KO5 Izu Ugonoh

2023: Subriel Matías RTD5 Jeremías Ponce