Lionel Edmund Rose

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(21 June 1948 – 8 May 2011) was an Australian former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who competed from 1964 to 1976. He held the

undisputed Undisputed may refer to: Film * ''Undisputed'' (film), a 2002 action-thriller-drama film ** ''Undisputed'' (soundtrack), the soundtrack to the film * Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, a 2006 American martial arts film * Undisputed III: Redempt ...

WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring''

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. B ...

titles from 1968 to 1969, becoming the first

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

to win a world title. He later became the first Indigenous Australian to be named Australian of the Year. Rose was the 2003 inductee for the

Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame was founded in 2001 and began inducting boxers into the Hall of Fame in 2003. Since then annual induction dinners have been held across Australia. Inductees are nominated and then voted upon by a panel of ...

"moderns" category and was the second person to be elevated to "legend" status in 2010.

Background

Born and raised at Jacksons Track in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

as well as the town of

Warragul Warragul is a town in Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne. Warragul lies between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Mount Baw Baw Plateau of the Great Dividing Range to the north. As of the , the town had a population of 19,8 ...

, 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 The Gunditjmara or Gunditjamara, also known as Dhauwurd Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southwestern Victoria. They are the traditional owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. Their ...

(Dhauwurd Wurrung) people. 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

trainer (whose daughter Jenny he later married). He won the Australian amateur flyweight title at 15. He was the godfather to

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

and actress

Ruby Rose Ruby Rose Langenheim (born 20 March 1986) is an Australian model, actress, disc jockey and television presenter. Rose was a presenter on MTV Australia (2007–2011), followed by several high-profile modelling gigs, including Maybelline New York ...

Professional boxing career

After missing selection for the 1964 Olympic Games in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Rose began his professional boxing career at age 16, on 9 September 1964, outpointing Mario Magriss over eight rounds. This fight was in

, but the majority of Rose's fights were held in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. 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 Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand. Over his next nine fights, Rose had a record of eight wins and one loss, with one

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

. The lone loss in those nine fights was to Ray Perez, against whom Rose split a pair of bouts. Then at age 18, on 28 October 1966, he met Noel Kunde at Melbourne for the Australian

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 Rocco Gattellari (6 September 1941 – 23 June 2023) was an Italian-Australian boxer, Olympian, political candidate and businessman. He was the 2010 Inductee for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame Veterans category. Olympic Games Gat ...

to defend his Australian championship) before challenging

Fighting Harada Masahiko Harada (born April 5, 1943), better known as Fighting Harada, is a Japanese former professional boxer. He is a world champion in two weight classes, having held the NYSAC, WBA, and ''The Ring'' undisputed flyweight titles from 1962 t ...

for the world bantamweight title on 26 February 1968 in Tokyo. Rose made history by becoming the first Aboriginal Australian to be a world champion boxer when he defeated Harada in a 15-round decision. 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. 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 Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Pincay Drive and Kareem Court, it is north of SoFi Stadium and ...

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

. 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. Lionel Rose 1969

On 8 March 1969, Rose retained the title with a 15-round decision over

Alan Rudkin Alan Rudkin MBE (18 November 1941 – 22 September 2010) was a British national, Commonwealth, and European bantamweight boxing champion (1965–1970). He was born in St Asaph (Wales), as his pregnant mother was evacuated from Liverpool during ...

, but five months later he returned to Inglewood, where he faced

Rubén Olivares Rubén Olivares Avila (born January 14, 1947) is a Mexican former professional boxer and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame., Olivares was a world champion multiple times, and considered by many as the greatest bantamweight champio ...

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 is a former world Junior Lightweight boxing champion. Numata turned professional in 1962 and won the Lineal, WBC and WBA super featherweight world titles by defeating Flash Elorde by decision in 1967, although Numata was knocked down in the ...

, on 30 May 1971 at

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

. 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 Rafael Limón Burgos, also known as ''Bazooka Limón'' (born 13 January 1954) is a Mexican former professional boxer who held the WBC super featherweight title twice between 1980 and 1982. He also challenged for the same title in 1979 and 198 ...

, 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 Johnny Young (born Johnny Benjamin de Jong; 12 March 1947) is a Dutch Australian singer, composer, record producer, disc jockey, television producer and host. Originally from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, his family settled in Perth in the early ...

and engineered by

John L Sayers John L Sayers (d. 14 September 2021) was a New Zealand-born Australian recording engineer, producer and studio designer who engineered and/or produced many classic Australian rock and pop albums and singles from 1969 to the present. Sayers is o ...

, 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 The State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league series between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons. Referred to as “Australian sport's greatest rivalry”, the ...

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

Singles

Retirement

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 A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

that left him with speech and movement difficulties. Rose died on 8 May 2011 after an illness which lasted for several months.

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 and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the

Birthday Honours List The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are presen ...

for services to sport.Australia list: In 1969 Lionel Rose was granted the "Key to the

City of Gold Coast The City of Gold Coast is the local government area spanning the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia and surrounding areas. With a population of 606,774 it is the second most populous local government area in Australia (City of Brisbane being the ...

", only the second recipient of the City's highest honor. In the 1960s, he won the Australian Amateur Flyweight title In 2003 he was an inaugural inductee in the

. 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.

TV and film

His life inspired the TV serial ''

The Battlers ''The Battlers'' is a 1994 Australian mini series about two drifters during the Great Depression, based on the novel of the same name by Kylie Tennant.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p176 C ...

'' (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 Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor and singer whose career spanned four decades. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on th ...

. 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 The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venice Film Fest ...

.Lionel (2008)
IMDb After a brief theatrical run, a shorter version of the film premiered on SBS television on 28 November 2008.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

*
Lionel Rose's Musical Legacy
at Your Daily Spa. * Recording o
Lionel Rose winning the World Title
in 1968 on australianscreen online. Commentary by Ron Casey.
IMDB: Rose against the odds
– TV movie *
Bill Long presents Lionel Rose in his first featherweight bout against Vicente Garcia featherweight champion of Mexico
' (1969) * Aboriginal boxer Lionel Rose dies, aged 62
Aboriginal boxer Lionel Rose dies, aged 62
''World Socialist Web Site'' (2011) *

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rose, Lionel 1948 births 2011 deaths Australian of the Year Award winners Bantamweight boxers World boxing champions World bantamweight boxing champions World Boxing Association champions World Boxing Council champions Indigenous Australian boxers Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Sportsmen from Victoria (Australia) Commonwealth Boxing Council champions Australian male boxers People from Warragul Australian republicans Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century Australian male singers