Lionel Rose Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Lionel Rose
A statue of Rose in Warragul
Statistics
Real name	Lionel Edmund Rose
Nickname(s)	"Slim"
Rated at	Bantamweight
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1948-06-21)21 June 1948 Jacksons Track, Victoria, Australia
Died	8 May 2011(2011-05-08) (aged 62) Warragul, Victoria, Australia
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	53
Wins	42
Wins by KO	12
Losses	11
Draws	0
No contests	0

Lionel Edmund Rose was a famous Australian boxer. He was born on June 21, 1948, and passed away on May 8, 2011. Lionel Rose made history as the first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title. He competed in the bantamweight class. This means boxers in his category weighed between 115 and 118 pounds (about 52 to 53.5 kilograms).

Early Life and Boxing Start
Professional Boxing Journey
Life After Boxing
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Boxing Start

Lionel Rose grew up in Victoria, Australia. He was born at Jacksons Track and lived in the town of Warragul. His childhood was not easy. Lionel learned to box from his father, Roy. Roy was a skilled fighter in local shows.

When Lionel was 10, his teacher, Ian Hawkins, gave him boxing gloves. Around age 15, he started training with Frank Oakes in Warragul. Lionel later married Frank's daughter, Jenny Oakes. In 1970, at just 15 years old, Lionel won the Australian amateur flyweight title.

Professional Boxing Journey

Lionel Rose had his first professional boxing match on September 9, 1964. He won against Mario Magriss in Warragul. Most of his fights took place in Melbourne. Jack and Shirley Rennie helped him a lot. He lived with them and trained in their backyard.

First Fights and Australian Title

Lionel won his first five professional matches. Then, he had a rematch with Singtong Por Tor. Lionel had beaten Por Tor before, but this time Por Tor won. This was Lionel's first loss. In October 1965, he fought outside Australia for the first time. He beat Laurie Ny in New Zealand.

Lionel won eight of his next nine fights. He won one match by knockout. On October 28, 1966, he fought Noel Kunde for the Australian bantamweight title. Lionel won the match and became the Australian bantamweight champion.

Winning the World Title

After becoming Australian champion, Lionel Rose won more belts in 1966 and 1967. He defended his Australian title against Rocky Gattellari. Lionel won by knockout in the 13th round.

On February 26, 1968, Lionel challenged Fighting Harada for the world bantamweight championship. The fight was in Tokyo, Japan. Lionel won after 15 rounds. This made him the first Aboriginal Australian world boxing champion. He became a national hero in Australia. In 1968, he was named Australian of the Year.

Defending the World Title

On July 2, 1968, Lionel returned to Tokyo to defend his title. He beat Takao Sakurai. On December 6, he fought Chucho Castillo in California. Lionel won, but some fans were angry because they supported Castillo. A small riot started, and some people were hurt.

On March 8, 1969, Lionel fought Alan Rudkin. Lionel won and kept his championship. Five months later, he faced Rubén Olivares. Olivares knocked out Lionel in the fifth round. This meant Lionel lost his world bantamweight title.

Later Career and Retirement

Lionel Rose continued boxing after losing his world title. He won against future world lightweight champion Itshimatsu Suzuki in 1970. This made him a world title challenger again, but in a heavier division.

Lionel lost a fight for the Australian lightweight championship. He then fought world junior lightweight champion Yoshiaki Numata in Japan. Numata beat Lionel after 15 rounds. Lionel announced his retirement from boxing soon after.

During his break from boxing, Lionel also started a career as a singer. He had some popular songs in Australia, like "I Thank You." This song was very successful in 1970.

Lionel came back to boxing in 1975. But after losing four of his six matches, he decided to retire for good. As a professional boxer, Lionel Rose had 42 wins and 11 losses. He won 12 fights by knockout.

Life After Boxing

After retiring from boxing, Lionel Rose became a successful businessman. His life story was made into a television miniseries called Rose Against the Odds in 1991. It was later released as a movie. A documentary about him, called Lionel, came out in 2008.

In 2003, Lionel Rose was one of the first boxers to be honored in the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame.

In 2007, Lionel had a stroke. This made it hard for him to speak and move. He passed away on May 8, 2011, after being ill for several months.