After the success of winning gold for Team England in the men’s super-heavyweight final at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games last summer, 25-year-old boxer Delicious Orie has had his Golden Gateway plaque installed at Aston University’s Woodcock Sports Centre.

Speaking on how Aston University played a huge role in his boxing career and helped contribute to his achievement last summer, Delicious Orie comments: “Aston University’s Woodcock Sports Centre means a lot to me…The venue provided all the facilities that I needed to allow me to become a Commonwealth Games champion.”

From his childhood in Russia, to settling in Wolverhampton at the age of seven, Delicious Orie had never considered boxing until he turned 18. It was his admiration for Anthony Joshua's gold medal win at the 2012 Olympics that ignited his passion for the sport.

In his application for a scholarship at Aston University, where he pursued a degree in Economics and Management, Delicious Orie highlighted his aspirations in boxing as part of his personal statement: “I’m a striving athlete, very focused on winning the tournaments that I need to win in order to rise through the British amateur boxing rank…with hopes to be competing in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.”


Reflecting on his journey since writing that personal statement, Delicious adds, “It’s very motivational knowing that I’ve actually got here and achieved it. It was always the plan from the beginning.”

Since Birmingham 2022 concluded, Team England have been installing Golden Gateway plaques at gold medal-winning athlete’s desired venues up and down the country, a symbol of their remarkable achievements.

As for Delicious, Team England is excited to witness the next chapter of his inspiring journey. Birmingham 2022 was just the beginning for this rising star.