Olympic boxer Delicious Orie admits he is considering walking away from boxing after receiving an offer to join the WWE.
Super-heavyweight Orie, 27, won gold medals at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games before representing Team GB in the Olympics in Paris this summer.
He would lose in the first round by a contentious split decision to former world silver medallist Davit Chaloyan. It seemed certain that Orie, who was born in Russia and moved to Wolverhampton aged seven, would turn professional and lead the next generation of British heavyweight prospects.
But the 6ft 6in heavy hitter admits his career path is in doubt after receiving an offer from the WWE – the world-leading professional wrestling promotion – with proposals also on the table from leading boxing promoters.
“I’ve been invited to potentially join the WWE, as mad as that sounds,” Orie told Toe 2 Toe. “I just went out there go and see what it’s all about. It was a fantastic experience, I learned so much over the few days that I was there and it’s definitely something that I’ve got on the table as an option.
“It’s real. I got the message over the Olympic Games and at the time I wasn’t really looking at my messages, I was purely focused on the games. Afterwards, I was on holiday and that’s when I slowly started to reply and I saw the message.
“I initially thought it was a scam and then I looked more into it and it was legit. They said ‘We see your potential and we would like to work with you’.”
Orie, who has a 29-9 record as an amateur, was flown to the WWE Performance Centre in Florida where he learned the ropes and worked on a finishing move called the “Delicious Haymaker’.
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But deciding his future is serious business and he will not to rush the process. He continued: “Ultimately, I have a decision to make and it’s not something I am taking lightly. It’s something I’ve really got to take my time on because at the end of the day, this will shape my whole career. It’s going to be huge.
“I’m in a stage now where I am waiting for the offers, including the WWE, looking at the contracts and seeing what’s expected of me from the [boxing] promoters and the WWE side.
“I just want to have all the options on the table so I can make my full decision because whatever it is I decide to do, I’m going to put my 100 per cent commitment [into it] and I will sacrifice everything to be the best at that.”
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