An important heavyweight bout will take place this weekend. Delicious Orie began her Olympic qualification campaign at the European Games in Poland on Sunday.
Orie, the British amateur super-heavyweight, hopes to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Joshua, Joe Joyce and Frazer Clarke, who have all medaled for GB at the Olympics in the last three editions of the Games.
In fact it is 20 years since GB has had no super-heavyweight Olympic medalist. That puts the pressure and level of expectation on Orie, a relative newcomer to the international level.
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Super-heavyweight Delicious Orie is determined to win gold for Team GB at the 2024 Paris Olympics
The European Games will be the first Olympic qualification event for GB boxers, with two more world qualifiers to come next year.
“This is the tournament I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” Orie said Sky Sports. “I feel that I have accumulated enough experience to put me at the top of the podium.”
However, it is difficult to qualify for this tournament. In super-heavyweight, Orie must reach the final to win a place in Paris 2024.
“It’s a tight margin. The best two in Europe will qualify this season but I know I’m more than capable of doing it. Last year I got bronze at the Europeans and I also know the competition. I was new, I was new then,” he said.
“I know the competition, I know what to expect and I believe I have trained more than hard enough.”
Although the Europeans are a tougher boxing event than the Commonwealth Games, winning the gold medal in his hometown of Birmingham has inspired Orie ahead of this competition.
“If GB Boxing have given me the opportunity to qualify I know that they know that I’m ready. So that’s where I can get my confidence,” said Orie.
“They’ve done super-heavyweights over and over on that podium. So I know I’m more than capable of doing it myself.”
But he was drawn to the toughest fight in Poland in his first fight. Last Sunday night Orie boxes Marko Milun, an experienced and tough Croatian southpaw.
But the GB super-heavy insisted: “I feel very confident.
“I can achieve the gold medal. I just know I’m more than capable of doing it.”
On Sunday in England Harris Akbarthe 71kgs European gold medalist last year, also entered this tournament, against Germany’s Magomed Schachidov.
“He’s beaten the best and he’s more than capable of doing it again,” Orie said.
After a good opening win, Scottish 63.5kgs Reese Lynch has his second bout of these Games against Bulgaria’s Radoslav Rosenov.
GB middleweight Kerry Davis will also operate today.
On Monday three of Britain’s key qualifiers are expected to be boxing; returning Olympian Charlie DavisonWales’ Rosie Ecclesanother gold medalist at the Commonwealth Games, and Kiaran MacDonaldwho won silver in the European championships last year.
