The Wire

Lionel Rose, indigenous boxing icon, died yesterday at the age of 62. From humble beginnings, Rose reached legend status in 1968 by becoming the first Indigenous boxer to win a world championship title. Later that year he became the first indigenous Australian to be named Australian of the Year. He had his first taste of boxing at the age of 14, and turned professional soon afterwards. Rose had a stroke in 2007, and had been struggling with mobility and speech difficulties ever since. He will be remembered as a pioneer and an inspiration for many future Indigenous sports heroes.