Delicious Orie says he feared ending up a ‘very depressed, sad and miserable world champion’, which influenced his decision to retire from boxing.
Bidding War Followed Olympic Games
Orie made his professional debut a year ago. After the Paris Olympics, he sparked a bidding war, despite not winning a medal. Frank Warren’s Queensberry beat Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, as well as interest from the WWE, to sign him.
He was considered the next big thing in heavyweight boxing. However, a month later, Orie announced his decision to walk away from boxing. “I wanted to pull out before the boxing exposed me,” he told BBC Sport.
Orie said he turned professional for the money but realised that money only provides a little happiness and zero fulfilment. He said, “You feel nothing.”
Olympic Disappointment
Orie was a standout fighter in the amateur ranks, despite only taking up the sport at 18. Originally from Russia, he moved to the UK as a child with his family.
He aimed high, even as a seven-year-old, and realised the opportunities available to him in the UK. Orie worked for years to become part of Team GB and secure a regular income from boxing. His goal was to be Olympic champion, but he felt a shift after failing to achieve this.
“There was no plan B, there was no other thing, it was just tunnel vision to win that medal,” he said. “So the fact that I didn’t magnified the feeling even more when my hand wasn’t raised.
“I gave everything to the sport, I missed everything – happiness, birthdays, weddings, funerals, everything,” he added. “Knowing that I could never achieve that again when I didn’t have my hand raised, that was very sobering.”
Orie exited the Paris Olympics in the round of 16 against Armenia’s Davit Chaloyan.
The Allure and Emptiness of Money
Orie continued with plans for a professional career. He had dreamed of being a millionaire as a 19-year-old, and turning pro changed his life financially.
“I thought money [would] make me happy. I genuinely thought money is the answer to my emptiness,” he said. “I worked eight years to get that money and I got that money. I got a lot of it and I was predicted to earn a lot more of it in the future, only to realise that I felt emptier.”
Crossroads and Fear of Regret
Orie was at a crossroads. His pro debut win over Milos Veletic was intended to be an easy start, but he laboured through it and did not get the expected knockout.
He would spar, get hit, and question why he was doing it.
“I had to make a choice. I either stepped away when it was more or less too late – when in my third or fourth year I get knocked out by some up-and-coming guy who purely just wants it more than me,” he said. “Or I have the power in my hands to step away and walk away from the things that I could have got.”
Orie also feared the safety aspect of continuing without full focus.