LIONEL ROSE THE BOXING LEGEND DIES bantamweight champion who won 42 of his 53 fights - was one of Australia's greatest sporting legends.
Fellow boxer Jeff Fenech said Rose was "not only a great fighter but a fantastic human being".
"He was an absolute legend and I was honoured to know him as a friend," Fenech told The Every day Born and raised at Jackson's Track near the Victorian town of Warragul[1], Rose grew up in hardship, studying to box from his father, Roy, a beneficial fighter on the tent-show circuit. Based on the boxing historian Grantlee Kieza, Rose "sparred with rags on his hands in a ring produced from fencing wire stretched between trees".
At the age of 10, Rose struck up a friendship having a press photographer, Graham Walsh, who encouraged him and bought him his 1st pair of gloves. Aged about 15, he came under the tutelage of Frank Oates, a Warragul trainer (whose daughter Jenny he later married). He won the Australian amateur flyweight title at age 15.
Rose began his expert boxing career on 9 September 1969, outpointing Mario Magriss over eight rounds. This fight was in Warragul, but the majority of Rose's fights had been to be held in Melbourne. Along the way he was helped by Jack and Shirley Rennie, in whose Melbourne home he stayed, training each and every day in their backyard gym.
After five wins in a row, on 23 July 1965, he was rematched with Singtong Por Tor, whom Rose had beaten in a 12-round choice. Por Tor inflicted Rose's 1st defeat, beating him on points in six rounds. On 14 October of the exact same year, he had his very first fight abroad, beating Laurie Ny by a decision in 10 rounds at Christchurch, New Zealand.
Over his next nine fights, he had a record of eight wins and one loss, with one knockout. The lone loss in those nine fights was to Ray Perez, against whom Rose split a pair of bouts. Then, on 28 October 1966, Rose met Noel Kunde at Melbourne, for the Australian bantamweight title
