1. Lionel Edmund Rose MBE was an Australian professional boxer who competed from 1964 to 1976.
24 Facts About Lionel Rose
1. 2.
Lionel Rose held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and The Ring bantamweight titles from 1968 to 1969, becoming the first Indigenous Australian to win a world title.
3.
Lionel Rose later became the first Indigenous Australian to be named Australian of the Year.
4.
Later, at the age of 10, Lionel Rose was given a pair of boxing gloves by his teacher, Ian Hawkins.
5.
Lionel Rose won the Australian amateur flyweight title at 15.
6.
Lionel Rose was the godfather to model and actress Ruby Rose.
7.
Over his next nine fights, Lionel Rose had a record of eight wins and one loss, with one knockout.
8.
Lionel Rose won the title by defeating Kunde in a 15-round decision.
9.
Lionel Rose won one more bout in 1966 and eight in 1967 before challenging Fighting Harada for the world bantamweight title on 26 February 1968 in Tokyo.
10.
Lionel Rose made history by becoming the first Aboriginal Australian to be a world champion boxer when he defeated Harada in a 15-round decision.
11.
On 8 March 1969, Lionel Rose retained the title with a 15-round decision over Alan Rudkin, but five months later he returned to Inglewood, where he faced Ruben Olivares on 22 August.
12.
Lionel Rose lost the world bantamweight title to Olivares via a fifth-round knockout.
13.
Lionel Rose continued boxing after his defeat against Olivares, but, after defeats against practically unknown fighters, many believed he was done as a prime fighter.
14.
In 1975, he came back, but after losing four of his next six bouts, including one against Rafael Limon, Lionel Rose decided to retire for good.
15.
Lionel Rose compiled a record of 42 wins and 11 losses as a professional boxer, with 12 wins by knockout.
16.
Lionel Rose sang "Jackson Track" and "I Thank You", in both the SBS documentary and accompanying CD, Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music.
17.
In retirement, Lionel Rose became a successful businessman, and he enjoyed the monetary benefits his career brought him.
18.
In 2007, Lionel Rose suffered a stroke that left him with speech and movement difficulties.
19.
Lionel Rose died on 8 May 2011 after an illness which lasted for several months.
20.
Lionel Rose was featured in Australian author: Wendy Lewis's book of "Australia's Greatest People" in 2010.
21.
In 1968 Lionel Rose became the first Aboriginal Australian of the Year and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Birthday Honours List for services to sport.
22.
In 1969 Lionel Rose was granted the "Key to the City of Gold Coast", only the second recipient of the city's highest honor.
23.
In 2005 Lionel Rose was awarded the E9 title of 'King of the Ring'.
24.
Lionel Rose's life inspired the TV serial The Battlers about an Aboriginal boxer, played by Vincent Gill in blackface.