Rose won one more belt in 1966 and eight in 1967. He defended his Australian championship against Rocky Gattellari, winning by knockout in the 13th round of the match. After this, Rose challenged Fighting Harada for the world bantamweight championship on 26 February 1968 in Tokyo. He beat Harada in a 15-round decision. This win made him the first Aboriginal Australian to be a world-champion boxer. It made Rose a national hero in Australia, particularly among Aboriginal Australians. He was awarded Australian of the Year for 1968.