Heavyweight sensation considering quitting boxing after huge offer from WWE | Boxing

Olympic boxer Delicious Orie admits he is considering quitting boxing after receiving an offer to join WWE.

Super heavyweight Orie, 27, won gold medals at the European Championships and Commonwealth Games before representing Team GB at the Paris Olympics this summer.

He would lose in the first round by controversial split decision to former world silver medalist Davit Chaloyan. It seemed certain that Orie, 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 big hitter admits his career path is uncertain after receiving an offer from WWE – the world’s leading professional wrestling promotion – with offers also on the table from major boxing promoters.

“I was asked to potentially join WWE, as crazy as that sounds,” Orie told Toe 2 Toe. “I just went over there to see what it was all about. It was a fantastic experience, I learned so much in the few days I was there and it was definitely something I put up as an option.

“It’s real. I received the message during the Olympics and at the time I didn’t really look at my messages, I was just focused on the Games. Afterwards, I was on vacation and that’s when I slowly started responding and saw the message.

“At first I thought it was a scam, but then I looked into it more closely and it was legit. They said to me, “We see your potential and we would like to work with you.”

Orie, who is 29-9 as an amateur, was flown to the WWE Performance Center 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 won’t rush the process. He continued: “Ultimately, I have a decision to make and it’s not something I take lightly. This is something I really need to take my time on because ultimately it will shape my entire career. It’s going to be huge.

“I am now in a stage where I am waiting for offers, including those from WWE, looking at contracts and seeing what is expected of me from (boxing) promoters and WWE.

“I just want to have all the options on the table so I can make my complete decision, because whatever I decide to do, I’m going to put 100 percent into it and I’m going to sacrifice everything to be the best at it.