Lionel Rose

Lionel Edmund Rose MBE (21 June 1948 – 8 May 2011) was an Australian professional boxer who competed from 1964 to 1976. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles from 1968 to 1969, becoming the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title. He later became the first Indigenous Australian to be named Australian of the Year.

For the Australian Army colonel, NT Veterinarian, see Alfred Lionel Rose.

Lionel Rose
MBE
Rose in 1968
Statistics
Real nameLionel Edmund Rose
Nickname(s)Slim[1]
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 5+1⁄2 in (166 cm)
Born(1948-06-21)21 June 1948[2]
Labertouche, Victoria, Australia[2]
Died8 May 2011(2011-05-08) (aged 62)[2]
Warragul, Victoria, Australia[2]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights53
Wins42
Wins by KO12
Losses11

Rose was the 2003 inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame "moderns" category and was the second person to be elevated to "legend" status in 2010.

Background

Born and raised at Jacksons Track in Victoria as well as the town of Warragul, Rose grew up in hardship and learned to box from his father, Roy, who was a skilled fighter at local house shows. Rose was of the Gunditjmara (Dhauwurd Wurrung) people.[3][4][5]

Later, at the age of 10, Rose was given a pair of boxing gloves by his teacher, Ian Hawkins (who observed him shadow boxing). Aged about 15, he went under the tutelage of Frank Oakes, a Warragul trainer (whose daughter Jenny he later married).[6] He won the Australian amateur flyweight title at 15. He was the godfather to model and actress Ruby Rose.

Professional boxing career
Rose c. 1969

After missing selection for the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Rose began his professional boxing career at age 16,[2] on 9 September 1964, outpointing Mario Magriss over eight rounds. This fight was in Warragul, but the majority of Rose's fights were held in Melbourne. Along the way he was helped by Jack and Shirley Rennie, in whose Melbourne home he stayed, training every day in their backyard gym.

After five wins in a row, on 23 July 1965, Rose was rematched with Singtong Por Tor, whom he had beaten in a 12-round decision. Por Tor inflicted Rose's first defeat, beating him on points in six rounds. On 14 October of the same year, he had his first fight abroad, beating Laurie Ny by a decision in 10 rounds at Christchurch, New Zealand.

Over his next nine fights, Rose had a record of eight wins and one loss, with one knockout. The lone loss in those nine fights was to Ray Perez, against whom Rose split a pair of bouts. Then at age 18,[2] on 28 October 1966, he met Noel Kunde at Melbourne for the Australian bantamweight title. He won the title by defeating Kunde in a 15-round decision.

Rose won one more bout in 1966 and eight in 1967 (including a thirteenth-round knockout win against Rocky Gattellari to defend his Australian championship) before challenging Fighting Harada for the world bantamweight title on 26 February 1968 in Tokyo.[7] Rose made history by becoming the first Aboriginal Australian to be a world champion boxer when he defeated Harada in a 15-round decision.[8] This win made Rose an instant national hero in Australia and an icon among Aboriginal Australians. A public reception at Melbourne Town Hall was witnessed by a crowd of more than 10,000.[9] On 2 July of that year, he returned to Tokyo to retain his title with a 15-round decision win over Takao Sakurai. Then, on 6 December, he met Chucho Castillo at the Inglewood Forum in Inglewood, California. Rose beat Castillo by decision, but the points verdict in favour of him infuriated many in the pro-Castillo crowd and a riot began: 14 fans and fight referee Dick Young were hospitalised for injuries received.

Rose in 1969

On 8 March 1969, Rose retained the title with a 15-round decision over Alan Rudkin, but five months later he returned to Inglewood, where he faced Rubén Olivares on 22 August. Rose lost the world bantamweight title to Olivares via a fifth-round knockout.

Rose continued boxing after his defeat against Olivares, but, after defeats against practically unknown fighters, many believed he was done as a prime fighter. However, he was far from finished: he upset future world lightweight champion Itshimatsu Suzuki on 10 October 1970 in a 10-round decision, and once again, he positioned himself as a world title challenger, albeit in the lightweight division, 17 pounds over the division where he crowned himself world champion.

Despite having lost to Jeff White for the Australian lightweight title, Rose got another world title try when he faced WBC world junior lightweight champion Yoshiaki Numata, on 30 May 1971 at Hiroshima. Numata beat Rose by a fifteen-round decision, and Rose announced his retirement soon after.

In 1975, he came back, but after losing four of his next six bouts, including one against Rafael Limón, Rose decided to retire for good. Rose compiled a record of 42 wins and 11 losses as a professional boxer, with 12 wins by knockout.

Singing career

During his time off from boxing in the 1970s, Rose embarked on a modest singing career in Australia having hits with "I Thank You" and "Please Remember Me" in 1970. Produced and written by Johnny Young and engineered by John L Sayers, the song "I Thank You" was a top 5 nationwide hit. Comedic sports commentators Roy Slaven and H.G. Nelson played it as a substitute to the Australian national anthem during radio broadcasts of the State of Origin series and other sporting events.

It is widely thought that Rose's singing career didn't give him time to get enough preparation training in, which is why he lost bouts against so many unknown fighters (after his loss to Ruben Olivares).

Rose sang "Jackson Track" and "I Thank You", in both the SBS documentary and accompanying CD, Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music.

Studio albums
Title Album details
I Thank You
  • Released: 1970
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Festival Records (SFL-933741)
Jackson's Track
  • Released: 1971
  • Format: LP
  • Label: Festival Records (SFL-934166)

Singles
List of singles, with Australian chart positions
Year Title Peak chart
positions		 Album
AUS
[10]
1969 "I Thank You" / "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" 2 I Thank You
1970 "Please Remember Me" / "Good Old Country Song" 40
1970 "Little Ole You" / "Guitar Pickin' Boy" -

Retirement
A statue of Rose in Warragul

In retirement, Rose became a successful businessman, and he enjoyed the monetary benefits his career brought him. Rose was showcased in 2002 in The Ring section 'Where are they now?'.

In 2007, Rose suffered a stroke that left him with speech and movement difficulties.[11][12]

Rose died on 8 May 2011 after an illness which lasted for several months.[13][14]

Awards

Rose was featured in Australian author: Wendy Lewis's book of "Australia's Greatest People" in 2010.

In 1968 Lionel Rose became the first Aboriginal Australian of the Year[2][15] and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Birthday Honours List for services to sport.[16][17]

In 1969 Lionel Rose was granted the "Key to the City of Gold Coast", only the second recipient of the City's highest honor.[18]

In the 1960s, he won the Australian Amateur Flyweight title

In 2003 he was an inaugural inductee in the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame.

In 2005 he was featured on a stamp (part of the 2005 edition).

In 2005 Rose was also awarded the E9 title of 'King of the Ring'.

In 2011 he was inducted to the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll.[19]

TV and film

His life inspired the TV serial The Battlers (1968) about an Aboriginal boxer, played by Vincent Gill in blackface.

The TV miniseries Rose Against the Odds was produced in 1991 – a period drama of Rose's life story starring Paul Williams and Telly Savalas. It was released as a feature film in 1995.

In 2008, after nearly three years of conducting interviews with Rose, his family and friends, Melbourne filmmaker Eddie Martin premiered his feature-length documentary Lionel at the Melbourne International Film Festival.[20] After a brief theatrical run, a shorter version of the film premiered on SBS television on 28 November 2008.

Professional boxing record
53 fights 42 wins 11 losses
By knockout 12 5
By decision 30 6
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
53 Loss 42–11 Maurice Apeang KO 2 (10) 18 Dec 1976 Une Grande Soiree Stadium, Noumea, New Caledonia
52 Loss 42–10 Rafael Limon TKO 3 (10) 28 Aug 1976 Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
51 Win 42–9 Giuseppe Agate TKO 3 (10) 13 Nov 1975 Olympic Swimming Stadium, Melbourne, Australia
50 Loss 41–9 Billy Moeller PTS 10 8 Oct 1975 Marrickville RSL Club, Sydney, Australia
49 Loss 41–8 Blakeney Kid Matthews MD 10 29 Aug 1975 Melbourne Olympic Pool, Melbourne, Australia
48 Win 41–7 Bomber Uchida PTS 10 30 Jun 1975 Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
47 Loss 40–7 Yoshiaki Numata UD 15 30 May 1971 Prefectural Gymnasium, Hiroshima, Japan For WBC super-featherweight title
46 Win 40–6 Tanny Cuaresma KO 1 (10) 4 May 1971 Channel 10 Studios, Melbourne, Australia
45 Loss 39–6 Jeff White UD 15 12 Feb 1971 Milton Tennis Courts, Brisbane, Australia
44 Win 39–5 Guts Ishimatsu UD 10 10 Oct 1970 Palais Theatre,Saint Kilda, Melbourne, Australia
43 Win 38–5 Richard Kid Borias KO 3 (10) 4 Aug 1970 San Remo Ballroom, Melbourne, Australia
42 Win 37–5 Freddie Wicks PTS 10 14 Jul 1970 Eastern Suburbs Rugby League Club, Sydney, Australia
41 Loss 36–5 Raul Cruz UD 10 16 May 1970 Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
40 Win 36–4 Don Johnson UD 10 7 Mar 1970 White City Tennis Courts, Sydney, Australia
39 Loss 35–4 Fernando Sotelo KO 7 (12) 7 Dec 1969 White City Tennis Courts, Sydney, Australia
38 Win 35–3 Vincente Garcia KO 5 (10) 1 Nov 1969 Melbourne Olympic Velodrome, Melbourne, Australia
37 Loss 34–3 Rubén Olivares KO 5 (15) 22 Aug 1969 Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
36 Win 34–2 Ernie Cruz MD 10 10 Jun 1969 Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
35 Win 33–2 Alan Rudkin SD 15 8 Mar 1969 Kooyong Tennis Stadium, Melbourne, Australia Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
34 Win 32–2 Chucho Castillo SD 15 6 Dec 1968 Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
33 Win 31–2 José Medel MD 10 28 Aug 1968 Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
32 Win 30–2 Takao Sakurai MD 15 2 Jun 1968 Nippon Budokan, Japan Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
31 Win 29–2 Tommaso Galli PTS 10 26 Apr 1968 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
30 Win 28–2 Fighting Harada UD 15 27 Feb 1968 Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles
29 Win 27–2 Rocky Gattellari KO 13 (15) 11 Dec 1967 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia
28 Win 26–2 Gary Garber PTS 10 20 Nov 1967 Sydney Stadium, Sydney
27 Win 25–2 Kamara Diop TKO 3 (10) 13 Oct 1967 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
26 Win 24–2 Ronnie Jones PTS 10 1 Sep 1967 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
25 Win 23–2 Tiny Palacio PTS 10 28 Jul 1967 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
24 Win 22–2 Rudy Corona PTS 10 9 Jun 1967 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
23 Win 21–2 Akihide Tamaoka KO 6 (10) 11 May 1967 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
22 Win 20–2 Nevio Carbi PTS 10 17 Mar 1967 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
21 Win 19–2 Felipe Gonzalez PTS 10 18 Nov 1966 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
20 Win 18–2 Noel Kunde PTS 15 28 Oct 1966 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
19 Win 17–2 Jackie Burke TKO 6 (12) 14 Oct 1966 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
18 Win 16–2 Noel Kunde PTS 12 26 Aug 1966 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
17 Win 15–2 Ray Perez PTS 12 8 Jul 1966 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
16 Win 14–2 Flash Dumdum PTS 12 17 Jun 1966 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
15 Win 13–2 Jerry Stokes PTS 12 13 May 1966 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
14 Loss 12–2 Ray Perez UD 10 4 Apr 1966 Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia
13 Win 12–1 Ray Perez UD 12 18 Feb 1966 Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney, Australia
12 Win 11–1 Arthur Clarke UD 8 2 Dec 1965 Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney, Australia
11 Win 10–1 Billy Brown UD 12 5 Nov 1965 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
10 Win 9–1 Laurie Ny UD 10 14 Oct 1965 Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
9 Win 8–1 Billy Brown TKO 10 (12) 1 Oct 1965 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
8 Win 7–1 Bobby Wells TKO 8 (12) 20 Aug 1965 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
7 Win 6–1 Teddy Rainbow PTS 12 27 Jul 1965 Saint George Rugby League Club, Sydney, Australia
6 Loss 5–1 Singtong Por Tor PTS 6 23 Jul 1965 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
5 Win 5–0 Singtong Por Tor PTS 12 25 Jun 1965 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
4 Win 4–0 Jackie Bruce TKO 1 (12) 2 Apr 1965 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
3 Win 3–0 Joe Oliveri TKO 2 (6) 6 Nov 1964 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
2 Win 2–0 Mario Magris PTS 8 9 Oct 1964 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Australia
1 Win 1–0 Mario Magris PTS 8 9 Sep 1964 Warragul, Australia

See also

References
  1. Lionel Rose and Jenny Rose interviewed by Rob Willis for the Sport oral history project, Trove (National Library of Australia), 2008.
  2. Milbert, Neil Francis. "Lionel Rose". britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  3. "Lionel Rose's Boxing Gown, 1968". Museums Victoria Collections.
  4. Flanagan, Martin (9 May 2011). "Rose's champion style went way beyond the boxing ring". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. Broome, Richard (1995). "Enduring Moments of Aboriginal Dominance: Aboriginal Performers, Boxers and Runners". Labour History (69): 171–187. doi:10.2307/27516397. JSTOR 27516397 – via JSTOR.
  6. "New Dawn" (PDF). March 1971. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2011.
  7. "Lionel Rose - Lineal Bantamweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  8. National Film and Sound Archive: Lionel Rose World Title on australianscreen online. Aso.gov.au. Retrieved on 24 July 2015.
  9. "Wonderful day for the champ". The Canberra Times. Canberra, Australia. 1 March 1968. p. 18. Retrieved 2 July 2021 – via Trove.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 258. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. Elder, John (15 June 2008). "Fight to the end". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
  12. Nobbs, Tony (7 August 2007). "Lionel Rose MBE Recovering From Stroke". eastsideboxing.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2008.
  13. "Lionel Rose dies aged 62". ABC News. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  14. Australian boxing great Lionel Rose dies aged 62, Daily Telegraph, 9 May 2011.
  15. Chronology Archived 13 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Australia Day. Retrieved on 24 July 2015.
  16. Australia list: "No. 44601". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 May 1968. p. 6336.
  17. "ROSE, Lionel Edward". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  18. Services, corporateName=Office of the COO | Corporate Communication | Web. "Key to the City". www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  19. "2011 Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll". www.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  20. Lionel (2008). IMDb

Further reading
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