Ray Oliveira

Raymond Reinaldo Oliveira (born October 6, 1968) is an American former professional boxer, known by the nickname 'Sucra'. He fought for world titles at both super-lightweight and welterweight, winning the International Boxing Union world welterweight title twice, in 2003 and 2004.

Amateur career Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Oliveira was one of 19 children. He started boxing at the age of 11, and went on to have over 300 amateur bouts. a fate repeated four months later when he challenged for Jake Rodriguez's IBF title.

A string of wins led to a challenge for Charles Murray's NABF title in April 1997.

Oliveira moved up to welterweight again and challenged for Lorenzo Smith's IBU world title in January 2003. Oliveira took the belt after Smith retired in the sixth round. He lost the title in May that year to Elio Ortiz, but regained it October 2004 with a unanimous points win over Hicklet Lau. Hatton winning by a tenth-round knockout, the first time in Oliveira's career that he had been stopped. Oliveira fought only once more – an eighth-round stoppage loss to Emanuel Augustus; He began experiencing serious pains at the base of his skull midway through the fight, as well as loss of feeling in his arms and shaking, and the referee stopped the bout after noticing that Augustus was avoiding throwing punches to Oliveira's head.

Oliveira had planned to make a comeback against Joey Spina on October 2, 2010, but despite being passed fit to fight by one neurologist, another appointed by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Gaming Commission refused to allow him to fight, and Oliveira never fought again.

After retiring as a fighter, Oliveira trained boxers at his gym. Oliveira's son, Ray Jr. is also a professional boxer.