A STATUE honouring former world boxing champion Lionel Rose is set to take pride of place in his birthplace of Warragul.

The Baw Baw Council will meet tomorrow to settle plans for the 3.6m statue of Rose in his favourite boxing pose, with two sites being considered.

To finance the project, 15 miniature statues of Rose have been created with five already sold at the asking price of $12,000.

Rose yesterday travelled from his Warragul home with his wife Jenny to view the bust at the Frankston home of another world champion, Johnny Famechon.

Rose, slowed by a 2007 stroke that affects his speech, hugged his contemporary, Famechon rising from the wheelchair he has been using since a 1991 traffic accident. Despite being world champions for a short time together in 1969, the pair never met in a professional bout.

Both claim to have had the edge in a three-round spar that was not well publicised.

Rose, 60, an MBE, grew up in Jacksons Track between Warragul and Drouin, and Warragul gets his vote for the statue.

"That's where I was born so that's where it should be," said Rose.

"And that pose is the one I like. That captures me. It's nice that someone would want to build a monument for an old bloke like me."

Sculptor Steve Glassborow is responsible for similar works on John Coleman, at Hastings, and Sir Hubert Opperman, in Rochester.

Robert McCarthy, who has helped put the project together, said the ultimate plan is to honour other Victorian boxing world champions such as Famechon and Barry Michael.

Michael, who was world junior lightweight champion from 1985-87, joined Rose and Famechon yesterday to view the statue.