Just reread your opening post, on YouTube there is a decent amount of footage of Mickey Walker, Tomy Loughran, Georges Carpentoer and Gene Tunney. Not to everyones tastes but in terms of discovering the evolution of pro boxing these guys are pretty much necessary viewing :good
You can do a lot worse than to check out Sam Langford. This guy mixed it with some of the very best in boxing's modern birth, from Joe Gans at light-welter all the way up to Harry Wills at HW. It's a great window into classic boxing.
Benny Lynch..! He was really good. Just think how much better he could have been if he'd have won his biggest bout against Jack Daniels !!
May I suggest Pete Herman (February 12, 1896 – April 13, 1973) who was one of the great early bantamweight world champions. Has a win over "little man" legend Jimmy Wilde. Here is a guy who completely changed style during his career - went from being a cute slick speed based outfighter to an in-your-face terror of an infighter with constant pressure. Why? The story I read said that when Johnny Buff became Bantamweight champ he beat a blind man for the title... Pete Herman. What I read suggested Herman had been going blind for quite some time and adjusted his style to stay close enough to his opponents to 'feel' them when he could no longer 'see' them. In one of his very last fights in 1922 he knocked out number one contender Packy O'Gatty in one round. By this time he was almost certainly blind in one eye and possibly in BOTH. Pete Herman was on the Louisiana State athletic commission after he retired (and to my knowledge is the only blind member they ever had serve) and ran a popular night club in his home town of New Orleans. Very interesting character and great human interest story who is almost completely forgotten today - except by the International Boxing Research Org. who has him as the #4 Bantamweight of all time... There is FAR more info out there about the incredible little man - I hope I have given you enough to interest you in looking for more
Movie Bio's-"Somebody up there likes me" Life & times of Rocky Graziano. 1940's Middleweight. "Raging Bull" Life of 1940's Middleweight Jacob LaMotta. Both excellent movies & informative of thier lives. Also"Cinderella Man" About the life of 1930's Heavyweight. James J. Braddock.
Teeto buying a DVD of Yoko of RB also remember i joked syaing Yoka was up for the IBHOF, well it turns out he is up for it