Lionel Rose BORN June 21 1948; Drouin, Vic, Australia (Some sources report Warragul,Vic, Australia) DIED May 8 2011; Melbourne, Vic, Australia HEIGHT 5-6 1/2 WEIGHT 116-135 1/2 lbs Rose was a scrappy competitor with fast punches but only fair power; He won the WBC Bantamweight Championship of the World, the WBA Bantamweight Championship of the World, the Bantamweight Championship of the British Empire and the Bantamweight Championship of Australia during his career. Lionel defeated such men as Fighting Harada, Jesus "Chucho" Castillo, Alan Rudkin, Takao Sakurai, Jose Medel, Kamara Diop, Rocky Gattelari, "Guts" Ishimatsu [Suzuki], Tommaso Galli, Vicente Garcia, Don Johnson, Richard "Kid" Borias, Shoji "Bomber" Uchida, Nevio Carbi and Rudy Corona. 1968 Feb 26 Fighting Harada Tokyo, Japan W 15 -WBC Bantamweight Championship of the World; WBA Bantamweight Championship of the World; Jul 2 Takao Sakurai Tokyo, Japan W 15 -WBC Bantamweight Championship of the World; WBA Bantamweight Championship of the World 1969 Mar 8 Alan Rudkin Melbourne, Vic, Australia W 15 -WBC Bantamweight Championship of the World; WBA Bantamweight Championship of the World; Bantamweight Championship of the British Empire Aug 22 Ruben Olivares Inglewood, Ca This content is protected -WBC Bantamweight Championship of the World; WBA Bantamweight Championship of the World Full record here: http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/lionrose.htm This content is protected
Rose is definitely underrated. He's a top 10 at bantamweight imo. I have seen his fight against Harada and this guy could box. He was very quick and had great defense (glove blocking and head movement). He outclassed Harada and I think Harada is like a top 5 bantam. I think. Regardless, Rose was a highly intelligent fighter. He blocked almost every left hook Harada led with. And he'd counter with his own left hook when Harada opened up on the inside. Used a beautiful stepback counter when Harada charged forward. And you know what, he is one of the most accurate punchers I've ever seen. Harada was a face first swarmer but he still had good defense. Rose was tagging him with everything. His counters were on point. He reacted quickly when he saw an opening. A solid jab that made Harada work harder to get inside. Rose could fight on the outside and inside and he moved really well. I don't know if his resume is as good as Jofre, Harada, or Olivares but in terms of skillset, he was one of the best bantamweights ever.
Rose was in the zone and looked like an ATG against Harada. It was a superb display by anyone let alone a 19 year old kid. Sadly struggles with weight, outside the ring distractions and the love of the good things in life meant that Lionel's prime was very brief and he was essentially washed up as a fighter by his early 20's without achieving ATG status. Still for one night he was very special indeed. By the was I love reading your analysis of fights and fighters. Really offers a great insight to those of us who get caught up in the drama or spectacle of a fight and neglect appreciating the technical aspects on occasion.
A friend of mine saw him fight Castillo in LA and he has always talked about how good Rose was. In particular, his left hand. He is unfortunate in that Olivares ate him up and that will always affect how he is seen. But nobody was going to beat Olivares that night, or even stay close to him.
i wouldnt say he is underrated. he had his one great night vs harada……but that doesnt make a great Champion. his defenses were basically all controversial. and to alot of People, he got gift decisions vs rudkin and Castillo. even in non title fights during his reign, he struggled badly. and by the time he was 21, he was basically shot and got knocked out by unkowns.
Back in the 60's you had only 2 ABC Rating organizations...and Rose held both of their titles. He was The Champ, as opposed to 4-5 "champs" today in a division who seldom unify. (When Carbajal vs Gonzales, was a big PPV fight back in 1993, then you know boxing has an issue with legitimacy today). Unification against Humberto "Chiquita" Gonzalez[edit] Carbajal then fought a highly anticipated unification match with WBC champion Humberto González on March 13, 1993. Carbajal and Gonzalez became the first Junior Flyweights in history to earn a million dollar purse, and it was the first Junior Flyweight "superfight" and championship bout to headline a Pay Per View event. Carbajal was downed in rounds 2 and 5, and he was bleeding from his right eyebrow when he blasted a tremendous left hand to the side of Gonzalez's chin in the seventh round. Gonzalez turned sideways, and Carbjal landed another right hand that sent him to the canvas. Gonzalez could not beat the count, and Michael Carbajal had unified the world's Junior Flyweight championship in The Ring's fight of the year. He would also be named fighter of the year for 1993.[3] More television endorsement deals followed, including television ads for Diet Pepsi and Emergency Chiropractors, but trouble seemed to follow, as well. He was accused of firing gunshots onto the roof of a party in Scottsdale. This unwanted attention seemed to take its toll on Carbajal, and after two additional defenses, he fought Gonzalez once again in a pay-per-view match in Los Angeles, California. In his 11th world title fight, Carbajal suffered the first loss of his career as he was defeated by a controversial 12 round split decision.
