Volk the younger brother of fellow Portland boxer Eddie Volk, was a very successful amateur boxer in the United States Army during World War II. He quickly advanced to main event status before being shockingly kayoed by Lincoln Stanley. After rebuilding his career in the clubs in California, he scored an upset first-round TKO of former Middleweight champion Fred Apostoli at Hollywood Legion Stadium, when he stopped him on a cut. Apostoli, easily desposed of him in the 3rd round of a rematch though. Volk later gave Harry (Kid) Matthews a close, competitive fight in Seattle. However, as was the case with his brother Eddie, he did not have a very good chin.