Who is Delicious Orie?
Having already won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the European Games last year, Orie is a realistic medal hope for Team GB this summer at the Paris Olympics.
Fighting in the Super Heavyweight division, the boxer’s record of thirty wins in 38 amateur bouts has left him well-fancied in the online betting to at least achieve a podium finish and from there the 27-year-old has a well-mapped plan for further success.
It is Orie’s dream to bring home the gold in August, turn professional, and follow in the footsteps of his hero Anthony Joshua, who he has previously sparred with. Ultimately, he wants to be champion of the world.
But one punch at a time and back to the present.
The Super Heavyweight class in Paris is stacked with real talent, with the ‘Big Uzbek’ Bakhodir Jalolov a firm favourite, and Richard Torrez an American southpaw to watch.
There is also the seasoned Kamshybek Kunkabayev posing a genuine threat while Orie’s fellow Brit Frazer Clarke should not be discounted.
Yet if all of these warriors can be deemed Orie’s equal, none of them can lay a glove on his back-story that makes for a fascinating read.
Boxer With Honours
Born in Voronezh, Russia on May 31st, 1997, to a Nigerian father and Russian mother, Delicious moved with his family to London in 2004 after they endured persistent and abhorrent racism.
For four years life was tough, the seven-year-old unable to speak English and with his father struggling to make ends meet.
Their circumstances improved however when a job opportunity arose in Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands.
Orie much preferred the new school to which he was transferred and he began to excel in the classroom as well as make friends on the playground. Furthermore, a sudden growth spurt now had him the tallest in his year by some distance.
Perhaps it was this that prompted a childhood aspiration to emerge, or maybe it was due to having better extracurricular facilities available in the area.
But from the age of 11 right through high school, Delicious’ obsession was to eventually gain a US college scholarship and become an NBA star in America.
Regrettably his basketball dreams were dashed when a lack of funding became an issue while his English/Russian duel citizenship proved problematic in gaining a visa.
So it was that Orie changed sports, turning his hand to boxing after being welcomed at the Henrietta Street gym in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. By now the teenager was nearing 18 and stood at an imposing 6ft 6 tall.
Not that the A-Level student allowed his academic endeavours to slip as he pummelled all-comers in the ring, far from it. In due course he aced his exams, going on to study Economics and Management at Aston University.
It’s fair to say that the next few years of the youngster’s life was hectic. He had his classes to attend, as well as studying into the small hours. He had a part-time job helping barristers balance their accounts.
And he would train and box, train and box, soon after becoming the English National Amateur Champion.
In an interview with his alma mater, Delicious provided an insight into his punishing schedule during this period. Of heading out to pound the streets at midnight while his flat-mates were getting ready to go clubbing.
With a First Class Honours degree attained in 2020, the boxer will surely be one of the most qualified individuals within the Olympic village this summer.
How Much Is Delicious Orie Worth?
Funding makes up the lion’s share of the financing behind Orie’s Olympic dream though the boxer is part of the STN (Second To None) stable, the agency helping to bring in some commercial income, if minimal at this juncture.
As it states on their website: “Our understanding of the industry and network of brands means we are best placed to maximise an athlete’s earnings.”
That though is to come, when Orie turns professional, and furthermore has some name recognition.
Right now, here is a young man with a negligible net worth and very possibly saddled with enormous student debt.
The future though looks golden. To give some indication as to what riches awaits Orie we only need look to Anthony Joshua, the boxer he aspires to follow.
In 2023, Joshua was, according to Forbes, the 28th best paid athlete in the world, earning £41m for that year alone.
Delicious Orie Name
It’s distinctive for sure, and as regards to brand recognition, being called ‘Delicious’ will help the boxer’s earning power going forward.
As a child though, Orie hated it, once coming home from school after learning about grammar, and asking his mum why he was named ‘after an adjective’.
“It was tough at times. You know what kids are like,” he once relayed to BBC Breakfast.
According to his father, Justin, his son was named after a vocalist he admired from a R&B band popular in the Nineties called All For One.
Other Interests
Music is a passion of the Olympic hopeful, while several Midlands football clubs claim he is a supporter of theirs. By all accounts, West Brom is the most likely, the Baggies backed strongly in the football betting to gain promotion this coming season.
Elsewhere, and to Orie’s huge credit, he has continued with his academic pursuits, with reading topping his list of hobbies.
A fearsome boxer with his bloodied nose constantly in books. It certainly makes for an arresting image.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*
