An Education in the History of Boxing

Hello board, Cheeky of me I know to ask favours while contributing so little but here I am cap in hand.
 
Boxing over took Football as my sporting passion the moment I was late to a date because I was glued to the T.V watch Calzaghe school Lacy, from that moment on I was transfixed. There have been some ups (my fav was seeing Margarito get just desserts versus Manny) and some lows (Burns this week realy did feel like a low blow, and also watching Maccarinelli nearly get killed on the super seven bill).
 
So my Question to you people, it is very clear I need an education in the world of boxing prior to Calzaghe beating Lacy. So to avoid duplication I have caught up with Ali's career, The Benn-Eubank fights, lennox Lewis's career and a few super fights.
 
Can you please suggest some key fights or even moments that will really help me garner a greater history.
 
Thanks in advance

Two fights which are seismic in terms of their impact on the sport are Jeffries vs Johnson and the second Louis Schmeling fight. The first is a brilliant starting point into the racism that was endemic in the sports early years and the second is perhaps the biggest heavyweight fight ever with Schmeling being, perhaps unfairly, portrayed as representing Hitler’s warped views on Ayran supremacy.

If you want to learn about the history of the sport The Cyber Boxing Zone and Coxs Corner are both excellent websites with a wealth of material on fighters and fights from the past.

You could also spend a few hours in The Human Windmill Boxing Vault, there are articles, links, videos, a whole treasure trove of information in there.

https://www.606v2.com/f61-the-human-windmill-boxing-vault

A few names you should look up on youtube:

Arturo Gatti, Aaron Pryor, Alexis Aguero, Erik Morales, Micky Ward, Marco Antonio Barrera, Jose Luis Castillo, Diego Corrales, Pernell Whitaker, Roberto Duran, Jeff Fenech, particularly worth looking up the Hearns, Duran, Hagler & Leonard fights, there should be a docu called Four Kings or something which features all the fights & is a GREAT watch, Julio Cesar Chavez (snr), Roy Jones jnr, James Toney, Prince Naz & as he died recently & he was always in exciting fights Tommy Morrison RIP, Carlos Monzon, Kostya Tsyu (spelling?), Ricardo Mayorga

You might of heard of some of them, but these names should take up a few hours & alot of them fought eachother in some great fights!

Just hang around here for a while and get into a few arguments. Its amazing how quickly you learn when you're frantically scanning through Boxrec in order to win a debate.


Here's a history of boxing article that hits the key notes without getting too heavy going.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2009/05/30/boxing-a-manly-history-of-the-sweet-science-of-bruising/


For a quick fix watch the Barrera, Morales, Marquez fights. Top quality fighters having wars.

Id say a couple of great fights would be Gatti vs Ward, Corrales vs Castillo or Pacquiao/JMM/Barrera/Morales for real fights.

If you like the more technically gifted fighters, then tune into a mayweather fight or ward.

I have been able to see everything worthwhile since 2006 (and alot of bouts I would rather forget)

I have watched only a handful of those fighter Dynaminte so Thank you very much, I think that will plug a few holes.

Also thank you for reminding me of Windy's Vault.

My first fight was Bruno vs McCall at Wembley when he won the world title on points. Think it was 96 or maybe a couple years earlier.

Either or, that was my first fights, and since then ive been hooked as well.

Very addictive yet frustrating sport. I love it.

I woukld stick with the heavyweights and work your way down........Heavyweight belt is the best belt in all of Boxing.......

Youtube would be my source for you kid as you could trace the linear history and watch the title change hands up to the current day........

Type in ..Corbett- Fitzsimmons... and see the first ever film of heavyweight title........and go from Fitzsimmons to Jeffries - Burns - Johnson to the present day........

Give you a taste of history and wet your appetite..

Good luck..

Get a Fabulous Four/Four Kings dvd, it features Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran and is utterly brilliant.  What an era!!