Delicious Orie’s boxing lifecycle has moved swiftly, at times abruptly, and in a sense he is already back at the start.
His retirement from boxing was certainly abrupt last year, when the English heavyweight called time on his professional career after just one bout. Before that, Orie had emulated domestic and international greats by boxing at the Olympics after claiming Commonwealth gold. And now, in a new role, he is back at the Commonwealth Games.
Advertisement
Ahead of the 2026 Glasgow edition, the 28-year-old (who predominantly works in the financial sector) is speaking to the Independent as a pundit for TNT Sports.
“I very much love the sport and I still want to be involved in the sport,” he says. “It’s just I knew personally stepping in the ring was a different beast, a different animal that I didn’t really want to fight anymore.” He adds with a laugh: “Metaphorically speaking.”
“I was very much at peace with life as soon as I sort of announced it,” he continues. “It almost felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, I’ll be honest with you.” Then, however, Orie grapples with his words. “But I’m not… you know… one of the things that I really want to express is: I didn’t leave boxing because it was… because I don’t like the sport, or…”
He finally settles. “I’m very much still connected to the boxing world, but just from a different angle.”
Advertisement
So here he is, speaking (thoughtfully, as ever) for TNT, while spending time with England’s Commonwealth boxing squad. Given he’s in such familiar surroundings, I ask for the first thought that comes to mind when he hears the words “Commonwealth Games”.
“The first… I’ll say… feeling. The feeling is warmth, and it’s joy, it’s happiness,” he says. “If you were to ask me the week before the Games, I would have said nervous. I can’t swear on here, so I won’t say anything else!
“But yeah, very, very nervous, very anxious. It was the pressure, it was my first multi-sport event. Joe Joyce has won it, the likes of Frazer Clarke has got the gold, so for me it was like: right, the benchmark is set, it’s a gold medal. At the time, it was difficult to handle, but now looking back, it was genuinely the best experience I had in my journey as a boxer.
Orie after winning Commonwealth boxing gold in 2022 (Getty)
“When you feel an extreme amount of pressure, you know who you truly are. Your self-doubts really come out, but also that self-belief. You really know who you are in the core, very quick. It was sort of a fast track into knowing who I am. I didn’t need to go to a meditation retreat or anything, I just needed to go into the Commonwealth Games!
Advertisement
“Also outside the ring, the sense of unity between countries, learning so much about different nations that I didn’t even know existed, learning about their cultures – what makes them laugh, things of that nature. Being invited to different people’s homes from around the world. ‘If you’re ever in Mauritius, come down to my grandma’s house, she’ll feed you!’” He laughs again. “It’s an experience that I know will stay with me forever.”
Orie also opens up on the difference between the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, saying: “[The Commonwealth Games] was my first multi-sport event, so… I know it’s a little bit smaller than the Olympics, but it felt like this really grand feeling, and you get seen, a lot of coverage.
“Team GB and the Olympics has a great sense of family feeling, but it’s just that little extra element in the Commonwealth Games. For me of course, it was the home Games, it was literally in my hometown [of Birmingham], so it felt a little bit closer. In my local area it felt like, ‘We’re pushing together to get you a gold medal.’ But at the same time, it was on a spectacular stage. So, it was uniquely special. The Olympics, of course, is this grand pinnacle, but the Commonwealth Games is something that really stays close to the heart.”
CLICK TO ENLARGE: The England boxing squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games (englandboxing.org)
And Orie will stay close during these Games, where he expects Chantelle Reid, Isaac Okoh and Damar Thomas to impress, as England bring 14 boxers to Glasgow.
Advertisement
“Chantelle has got the experience,” he says. “I’ve been on camp with her in the lead-up of the Paris Games, because she came in a little bit later in that cycle, so she developed very, very fast. She was very experienced anyway beforehand, but adapting to that international way of fighting and consistently being in camps is a big ask, and she did it so well. I believe she was hard done by in the Olympic Games, and she’s coming in with that fire.
“Of course, I’m going to mention the big boys: the likes of Isaac, who is in the 90 kilos, and then Damar, who’s 90-plus kilos. You’ve got the heavyweight and the super heavyweight, absolutely amazing fighters – technically sound and also very awkward. They both helped me massively towards my Olympic journey; they were both on the same camps as me, all the way in Sheffield through to Paris.
“I know they would’ve soaked up so much experience. That’s what Team GB are so good at: supporting that next gen coming up. I was the same when I was a sparring partner for Frazer in Tokyo. Dip your toe in the water, you don’t have to risk anything. But when it’s your time: ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve been here before. I know what it’s like.’”
Orie has been here before, but now it is time for a new generation.
Watch every event of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games exclusively live on TNT Sports and all HBO Max plans in UK & Ireland.
Read the full article here
