British Olympian and new professional heavyweight Delicious Orie has taken up the position of becoming an ambassador for the BoxWise Foundation.
Orie, who will make his professional debut on the forthcoming ‘Heavy Impact’ card at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on April 5, will support the charity by attending publicity events relating to the programme, participation in the courses, while also raising awareness across his social media channels.
BoxWise, of whom Frank Warren became the first Chairman of the BoxWise Foundation Development Board, is a charity that helps vulnerable young people stay out of trouble and in school or work.Â
BoxWise delivers 10-week non-contact boxing programmes to the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young people across the UK, striving to reduce the rates of gang violence and knife crime through sport, community and opportunity.
Founded in 2020 by Nick Maughan CBE and Rick Ogden MBE, it has grown to support over 1,500 young people across the UK annually. Sessions are delivered by accredited England Boxing coaches and are a safe space for young people to focus on their mental and physical health, develop community ties and build foundations for a long and successful future.
Sessions also include a free hot meal, and graduates of the programme are given an opportunity to take part in a pathways programme to support their next steps in education or employment.
The popular Orie, 27, who hails from Wolverhampton following his family moving to the UK from Moscow, became the dominant force of the British amateur heavyweight scene by winning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games staged in Birmingham, also winning bronze in the same year at the European Championships.
In 2023 he struck gold at the European Games in Krakow-Malopolska, which secured him a place at the Paris Games. However, his Olympic dream was cut short via a split decision loss to the Armenian Davit Chaloyan in the opening round.
He is now poised to follow in the footsteps of recent British Olympic heavyweights Anthony Joshua, Joe Joyce and Frazer Clarke with a charge in the professional code.Â
“I am thrilled to be an ambassador for such a great concept as BoxWise,†said Orie. “The power of boxing in the community is massive and I have seen it work in practice locally and in what I’ve done during my amateur days.
“Boxing and boxing gyms provide an environment that fosters discipline, respect and inclusion. The programmes run by BoxWise serve so many purposes for young people and give them the focus to succeed in education or in the workplace.
“I am very much looking forward to playing my own part in the programmes and hopefully being able to do my bit to inspire young people to maximise their potential.â€
“BoxWise are absolutely thrilled to be signing Delicious as an ambassador today,†said Rick Ogden MBE, co-founder of BoxWise. “Delicious epitomises the Boxwise program of demonstrating what can be achieved through hard work and dedication to realising your goals.Â
“We are really looking forward to working with Delicious to increase awareness of the BoxWise charity and to make a lasting difference to the current and future young people who engage with BoxWise and our programmes.â€
