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the birth of Lionel Rose
Australias first indiginous boxer was born on June
the 21st 1948, and soon to be the eldest of nine others,
in a small place near the victorinan town of warragul. australian of the year, website -
introduction
He was introduced to the sport of boxing,
when he was just 14, in 1962, by his father who was a amuture boxer. <a href='http://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/?m=lionel-rose-1968' >australian of the year award, website</a -
first victory.
australian of the year website He won his first major fight at Melbournes festival hall,
in 1963, but this was also sadley the day after his father had passed away. never the less though, at the end of this year he had won the 'Australia's Nation Amature Flyweight title.' His trainer then was Frank Oakes, Rose met Franks daughter Jenny which he soon later married. -
his family.
To support his family Rose turned professional, under the legendary Australian trainer Jack Rennie. -
sudden sucess
After a string of success when he won
the 'Australian bantamweight title' in october 1966. australian of the year, website -
Big Win
source He made history in Tokyo on the 26th of Feb 1968,
when he defeated Japans Masahiko Harada for,
the 'World Bantamwieght Title.' Then later that year he was pronounced 'Australian of the year' he was the first Aboriginal person to win this award and on stage he quoted "One hundred and eighty-two years ago one of my mob would be a dead cert for this." -
meeting elvis
source Rose was in L.A and it was two days away from the fight with the mexican boxer Chucho Castillo and he heard that the king (elvis Presley) wanted to meet him himself, this was not an offer he was going to refuse especially because his mum was an elvis fan. Rose drove over to the set of the movie Elvis was playing in ('The trouble with girls'), They then sat for two hours and talked about music and manly stuff. -
the big fight
href='http://www.answers.com/topic/lionel-rose' >source</a> At a forum in Inglewood, California Rose had a match with a mexican man named chucho castillo. this day was memerable because the americans were rooting for rose on one side and on the other the latin americans were rooting for castillo. after Rose won on the 15th round the crowd went into a riot and over a dozen people as well as the referee were hospitalized. -
singing career
source<a In 1969 Rose was on a televison variety show, singing long side his guitar australian producer and song writer caught roses act and pened him a song the result was 'thank you". This was his first hit, it reached the number one spot in the Australian country charts. This song was dedicated to his wife Jenny. -
retirment
after losing four out of six bouts Rose retired fromhe sport for good. over the next few decades Rose did odd jobs like; managing a cafe' and performign as a musican. he then fell on hard times due to acholism and at his lowest point he was arrested for the role as an attemped robbuary even though he had all these problems in the way he was and has still remained an icon for Aboriginal and white australians. -
health
In 2007 lionel had a stroke which left him particially paralized and with speech difficulties. -
Death
Lionel Rose was a great inspiration, not only with his boxing career but also because he showed everyone that it didnt matter where or what you started off with you can still achieve. Lionel was also a big inspiration to the Aboriginal people to show them that they could achieve big espeacially because Aboriginal people were still getting discriminated by and he showed to them that you can be any colour to succeed in life and that your dreams can come true.
