Olympian Delicious Orie won his professional debut last month but the 27-year-old heavyweight is now stepping away from the ring to pursue a corporate career
Delicious Orie has announced his surprise retirement after just a single professional bout with the heavyweight saying his love for boxing has disappeared. Olympian Orie, 27, defeated Bosnian Milos Veletic on points in his pro bow last April but has struggled to find the motivation to continue.
And the 2022 Commonwealth Games champ now plans to pursue a corporate career after confirming he will not step back into the ring. Orie has a first-class honours degree in Economics and Management from Aston University.
“I have decided to hang up my gloves and retire from boxing to follow up on my degree and enter the corporate world,” he said on Instagram. “Over time, I’ve come to recognise that the same fire and love I once had for boxing has gradually faded.
“As I’ve grown, I’ve come to value clarity and honesty with myself above all. I hoped that turning professional would reignite the passion, but the truth has become clear: it hasn’t.
“Every fighter knows you need a deep love for the craft to reach the top – and without it, there’s no path forward. Out of respect for the sport and for myself, it’s time to step away with honesty.”
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Orie, who was born in Moscow before moving to England aged seven, was the favourite to win gold in last summer’s Paris Games but he suffered a shock first-round defeat to Armenian Davit Chaloyan. “I don’t think I will ever emotionally recover from it,” Orie said last month.
But he was still hot property when entering the professional ranks and signed a deal with promoters Queensberry.
Orie, who earned comparisons with Anthony Joshua when rising up through the ranks, also turned down an offer to join WWE so he could focus on the sport after the Olympics. “I thought it was a scam, one of those spam DMs [direct messages],” Orie told BBC Sport of the offer to join the entertainment group.
“I checked the account and it was legit, millions of followers and verified. It was real, it was very serious. They wanted me to go out to Florida and try out.”
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