Ray Downey

Raymond Tyler Downey (born September 23, 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian former boxer who won a light middleweight bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1990, he won silver at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. He is a member of Nova Scotia's "Boxing Downeys" family of fighters. His father was boxer David Downey.

Early life Raymond Downey, born in the late 1960s, grew up in North End, Halifax.

Downey began boxing at nine years old. He trained under Taylor Gordon, then Canadian national coach, at the Citadel Boxing Club from a young age.

Amateur boxing career In the early 1980s, his success included medals from local exhibitions, international tournaments, and junior amateur championships. He won gold at the Canadian junior amateur boxing championships in May 1983, and a silver medal in the following year at the competition.

His first international appearance came at the 1983 World Junior Boxing Championships, where he finished fourth in the light-middleweight category. He became the Canadian intermediate champion after securing a win over the Commonwealth and senior champion in December 1986.

At the February 1987 Canada Winter Games in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Downey won gold and served as flag bearer for his province.

In March 1987, his first year as a senior, he competed at the Canadian Senior Amateur Boxing Championships in Oromocto in the 71-kilogram light-middleweight division. By winning, he became national champion and earned selection to Canada's boxing team.

Ray Downey was a bronze medalist in the light middleweight classification for Canada at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

1988 Seoul Olympics results

Round of 64: Defeated Jorge López (Argentina) by decision, 5-0 Round of 32: Defeated Norbert Nieroba (West Germany) by decision, 3-2 Round of 16: Defeated Abrar Hussain Syed (Pakistan) by decision, 5-0 Quarterfinal: Defeated Martin Kitel (Sweden) by decision, 5-0 Semifinal: Lost to Park Si-hun (South Korea) by decision, 0-5 (was awarded bronze medal)

That year, the Olympic bronze medalist was awarded the Viscount Alexander Award at the Canadian Sports Awards for the "Outstanding junior male athlete of the year."

At the inaugural Canada Cup international boxing tournament in Ottawa in June 1988, he claimed the bronze medal. He reached the finals of the second annual Canada Cup in Ottawa in June 1989, defeating Wilson Santana of the Dominican Republic in the third round to claim gold.

He advanced to the finals of the Canadian National Championships in Hamilton, Ontario in November 1989. Downey maintained his hold on the Canadian title with a successful defense that year.

In November 1990, he represented at the Boxing World Cup in Bombay, India. In the finals, he was defeated by Cuban boxer Juan Carlos Lemus. He qualified for the 1991 Pan American Games and was later eliminated in the quarterfinals by Juan Carlos Lemus, then the number one ranked light middleweight in the world.

Pro career Downey turned pro in 1994 with much success. He retired in 2000 with a pro record of 16-2-1.

Personal life Raymond has four children: a son, Tylor Flint; a daughter, Raya Flint; and two younger daughters, Genevia and Summer Downey.

He has a distant family connection to William Hall.

Awards and recognitions 1988 Viscount Alexander Award 2015 Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame inductee