Lionel Rose - RIP

[bennie]

The legendary Aussie has passed away at 62. Lionel shook up the world when he beat Fighting Harada for the world bantamweight title in the 1960s and would have reigned a long, long time but for "Rockabye" Ruben Olivares, who ruined him in top flight.

[orbtastic]

I thought he was already dead!

[alexpaterson]

Rip, what a skilled boxer he was! The first 8 rounds against Rudkin were true class, some of the smoothest boxing I've come across. Though He struggled like mad with Rudkin in the next 7 he showed guts to hang in there and eek out a decision. I've only seen 3 more of his fights, 1 a title defence against an overmatched opponent who he beat brilliantly and then the Limon fight, by which time he was terribly washed up and heavily outgunned. Sad loss RIP champ!!

[wrimc]

Great fighter. A sad loss for the sport

Did you know that his fight with Rudkin was the highest rated television event ever in Australia up until the 2000 Sydney Olympics. More watched the Rudkin Rose fight than massive global events such as Diana's funeral.

[bennie]

Nothing changes with the the death of Lionel Rose over the weekend. Lionel, who was 62, retains an affection in the hearts of true boxing fans the world over and always will.
The indigenous Australian captured the imagination as the slender teenager who boxed brilliantly to wrest the undisputed world bantamweight title from Japan's brutal Fighting Harada on a 15-round decision in Tokyo in 1968. His victory was akin to Randolph Turpin's over Sugar Ray Robinson in London a decade earlier. Both Lionel and Randolph had climbed the very highest mountain and enjoyed spectatcular views over their hometown.
As bollox wrote on boxrec: "The crowd that greeted Lionel Rose received upon arriving back in Melbourne after winning the title was huge. Depending on who you believe it was between 100,000 and 250,000. Not bad for an Aboriginal kid raised in a tin shack...his title win gave his people something positive to aspire to at a time when Aborigines were seen by a lot of people as something less than human in this country."
Rose paved the way for other Aborginal boxing greats such as Hector Thompson and Tony Mundine as he retained his world title three times against 'hot' challengers before the hottest of them all, an unbeaten Ruben Olivares (unbeaten in 52 fights, 48 early), dropped him five times en route to a five-round stoppage win in Los Angeles. Lionel never really recovered, although he was good enouigh to outscore Japan's Guts Ishimatsu in a 10-rounder in Melbourne in 1970, a man later to beat our own Ken Buchanan.
Ex-bantamweight pro, Rick Farris, sparred a peak Rose and wrote: "He was tall for a bantamweight, about 5'7", and had the best jab I'd ever seen. It was rare that I was impressed with any bantamweight, having been around the best 118-pounders from Mexico. However, Rose was special...this guy was a master boxer and he was only 20.
"Rose reminds me of Ken Buchanan with his willingness to fight the best in their own backyards - and that jab."

[TerribleTerry]

A great fighter.

A great pipe smoker.

RIP

[WelshDevil]

Very sad. He'd been very unwell for quite sometime. Ironic that Geale who also has Aboriginal blood - wins a world title on foreign soil like Rose did.

I have his fights for download against Fighting Harada, Alan Rudkin, Rafael Limon and Ruben Olivares if anyone wants them?

[Grant]

A very sporting and honest apraisal of someone who we really loved down here. Thanks British & Irish board.


Grant

[ShadrachSimmo]

Nothing changes with the the death of Lionel Rose over the weekend. Lionel, who was 62, retains an affection in the hearts of true boxing fans the world over and always will.
The indigenous Australian captured the imagination as the slender teenager who boxed brilliantly to wrest the undisputed world bantamweight title from Japan's brutal Fighting Harada on a 15-round decision in Tokyo in 1968. His victory was akin to Randolph Turpin's over Sugar Ray Robinson in London a decade earlier. Both Lionel and Randolph had climbed the very highest mountain and enjoyed spectatcular views over their hometown.
As bollox wrote on boxrec: "The crowd that greeted Lionel Rose received upon arriving back in Melbourne after winning the title was huge. Depending on who you believe it was between 100,000 and 250,000. Not bad for an Aboriginal kid raised in a tin shack...his title win gave his people something positive to aspire to at a time when Aborigines were seen by a lot of people as something less than human in this country."
Rose paved the way for other Aborginal boxing greats such as Hector Thompson and Tony Mundine as he retained his world title three times against 'hot' challengers before the hottest of them all, an unbeaten Ruben Olivares (unbeaten in 52 fights, 48 early), dropped him five times en route to a five-round stoppage win in Los Angeles. Lionel never really recovered, although he was good enouigh to outscore Japan's Guts Ishimatsu in a 10-rounder in Melbourne in 1970, a man later to beat our own Ken Buchanan.
Ex-bantamweight pro, Rick Farris, sparred a peak Rose and wrote: "He was tall for a bantamweight, about 5'7", and had the best jab I'd ever seen. It was rare that I was impressed with any bantamweight, having been around the best 118-pounders from Mexico. However, Rose was special...this guy was a master boxer and he was only 20.
"Rose reminds me of Ken Buchanan with his willingness to fight the best in their own backyards - and that jab."

Nice post. Didnt realise that he fought Ishimatsu. That's impressive. Read the piece in BN about him. Popular guy.