Homecoming king The timing couldn’t be better as Providence’s Toka Kahn Clary returns to his home state of Rhode Island for the first time since 2017. Kahn headlines Thursday’s CES … Read more
Star Boxing’s “Rockin’ Fights” on Friday night brought the summer heat to The Paramount. All five bouts were fan friendly, with thrilling action form start to finish. In the main … Read more
A wild night at Twin River Casino ended with a dramatic finish and a new champion crowned in the super welterweight division.
Fighting with a heavy heart, Edwin Soto (12-2-2, 6 KOs) of New Haven, Conn., stunned the Twin River crowd with a second-round knockout win over Ray Oliveira Jr. (9-2) of New Bedford, Mass., in the main event to capture the vacant World Boxing Union (WBU) Canadian American Mexican Title.
It’s not so much the fact Ray Oliveira Jr. is headlining a fight card for the first time in his career that has him a little more amped up than usual for Friday night’s event at Twin River Casino. It’s the fact he’s bringing his hometown with him.
The 27-year-old Oliveira Jr. (9-1, 1 KO) is one of three fighters from New Bedford, Mass., appearing on Friday’s 2018 season opener for CES Boxing, joining welterweight Wilson Mascarenhas and featherweight Efren Nunez.
Beginning next Friday, Facebook FIGHTNIGHT LIVE serves up tripleheader action inside the squared circle. To open the weekend, the fan-friendly boxing and MMA streaming service partners once again with renowned promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr. for a red-hot CES Boxing card to start the boxing year in New England. Fans from across the globe can catch all the action beginning at 8 p.m. ET live from Twin River Casino in Rhode Island on any device wherever Facebook is available.
Following a season-long celebration of its 25th anniversary in combat sports, CES Boxing begins the first of its next 25 years in February with a major-league doubleheader at Twin River Casino featuring the region’s top prospects.
CES Boxing kicks off the 2018 Twin River Casino Fight Series on Friday, Feb. 23rd, 2018at the Event Center with Fall River, Mass., junior middleweight Ray Oliveira Jr. (9-1, 1 KO) headlining for the first time in his career in an eight-round showdown against New Haven, Conn., veteran Edwin Soto (11-2-2, 4 KOs), plus an eight-round co-main event rematch between female welterweights Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes (18-4-3, 1 KO) of Marshfield, Mass., and Natasha Spence (8-3-2, 6 KOs) of Ontario, Canada, who fought to a draw in December.
Like most boxers, Ray Oliveira Jr. has one eye on his upcoming Friday night with the other focused firmly on the more important battles he’ll face in the real world outside of the ring.
The 26-year-old New Bedford, Mass., junior middleweight has successfully created his own legacy in the sport out from underneath the shadow of his legendary father, “Sucra” Ray Oliveira, developing into one of the region’s most respected fighters in his weight class for taking on any and all comers.
Greetings!
Classic Entertainment & Sports CEO Jimmy Burchfield Sr.
Twenty-five years in professional boxing is no small feat. At times, it’s felt like an entire century, but we wouldn’t trade this lifestyle, or these incredible experiences, for anything.