Jersey Joe Walcott's career had stalled in the mid-1940s. He was fighting on small-time cards in the Camden areas when he came to the attention of Felix Bocchicchio. He saw in Walcott what so many others overlooked - a rugged jaw and iron fists. Sportswriters wrote that Bocchicchio "knew as much about boxing as the Mona Lisa did about swatting flies, but he decided to learn. He was seldom seen without a fight promoter, trainer or prizefighter in his company. He learned from them the mannerisms of the fight game."
    Felix Bocchicchio offered to manage Jersey Joe Walcott. At first Walcott refused, saying, "Fighting never got me nothin' before, and all I want now is a steady job so my wife and kids can eat regular. I'm over 30 and just plain tired of it all." But Bocchicchio bought food for the Walcott family, put coal in the bin, and got Joe's boxing license renewed. Jersey Joe went on the comeback trail and in 1945 he had nine bouts, winning eight. More importantly, he beat three Top Ten ranked fighters; Joe Baski, Lee O. Murray, and Curtis Sheppard.
    This was the start of a journey that would take him to the pinnacle of the boxing world in 1951, when Walcott knocked out Ezzard Charles to take the heavyweight title. During these years Felix Bocchicchio and Walcott were regularly mentioned names in the sports pages of America, as Jersey Joe climbed the ladder towards his title shot.

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