I thought I was being scammed after WWE offered me trials on Instagram… but here’s why I chose boxing instead

PREPARING himself for Olympic glory, boxer Delicious Orie received a suspicious Instagram connection offering him trials with the WWE.

But the super-heavyweight prima brushed disconnected the invitation arsenic thing much than a scam.

It was lone aft helium was controversially beaten successful the opening round of the 2024 Paris Games that helium gave the DM a 2nd thought.

By then, Orie was connected vacation successful Bangkok enjoying immoderate well-earned remainder disconnected the backmost of heartbreaking defeat to Armenia's Davit Chaloyan.

He did a spot much digging and realised the connection from the WWE was existent - and had already been accepted connected his behalf.

Orie, 27, told SunSport: "So they messaged maine really connected Instagram - this was during the Olympics.

"So I wasn't connected my societal media during the Olympics. I really saw it connected vacation a fewer weeks after.

"And I'm looking up, I'm conscionable looking done the messages and I'm seeing the WWE - initially I thought it was conscionable similar 1 of those fake things trying to get scam you.

"But past I opened the message, I looked into the relationship and I'm like, 'This is each legit, you know, they privation maine out.'

"So I'm successful Thailand, I doorbell my manager due to the fact that I messaged them backmost and said, 'Yeah, of course, let's talk.'

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"And they said, 'Oh no, we've already been speaking with your manager and we've sorted everything out, you're flying retired this day.'

"I'm calling my manager like, 'What's going connected here? I've haven't been told this!

"And helium goes, 'You conscionable request to chill out, conscionable relax, person a bully clip connected vacation and past you tin reset due to the fact that your mind's going to beryllium going.'

"And I'm like, good it's excessively precocious present my mind's going now. But yeah, I went retired determination conscionable to person a look, spot what they connection and it was a fantastic experience."

Orie did acquisition a carnal proceedings with the WWE successful Florida - but stopped abbreviated astatine immoderate high-flying turnbuckle moves.

He said: "We did bits, it was precise light, though. I'd watched a batch of the existent carnal jumping disconnected the the ropes and each that stuff.

"The main crushed wherefore was they were a small spot much cautious connected it due to the fact that arsenic athletes and the things that we've got going connected down the scenes, injuries, arsenic you whitethorn know, there's there's a precocious wounded complaint successful wrestling, jumping disconnected things and worldly similar that.

"So I got to effort retired a small bit, but not excessively much."

What Orie realised astir though was the WWE stars' endowment connected the microphone - thing boxers seldom excel at.

He said: "That's wherefore the likes of Tyson Fury and each them basal retired truthful overmuch due to the fact that he's capable to bash that, whereas you don't get galore successful the UK that tin bash it."

Orie - born successful Moscow to a Russian parent and Nigerian father - moved to the UK aged 7 seeking a amended life.

He lone started boxing astatine 18 and excelled arsenic an amateur winning nationalist titles arsenic good arsenic Commonwealth golden and European bronze.

And with inactive truthful overmuch to execute successful the nonrecreational ranks, Orie decided to politely crook down the WWE's approach.

He said: "I was reasoning what's gonna get maine the astir fulfilment retired of my life?

"I could person gone down that route, but bash I wanna beryllium a 70 twelvemonth aged looking backmost reasoning what could I person been arsenic a nonrecreational boxer?

"I deliberation there's thing rather real, raw, primal astir boxing.

"There's obscurity to hide, the magnitude of enactment you enactment successful is what shows. No substance whether it is you win, lose, it doesn't matter.

"It's however overmuch enactment you tin represent and amusement radical however overmuch enactment you you've enactment in. And that's fundamentally what I wanted to do.

"That's the crushed wherefore I decided to benignant of say, 'Look, astonishing offer, but decidedly the nonrecreational boxing is for me.'"

Orie has present turned pro with Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren astatine heavyweight with his debut acceptable to beryllium announced soon.

And helium arrives connected the country conscionable arsenic superstars Anthony Joshua, 35, and Tyson Fury, 36, hole to depart leaving a gaping spread down them.

Orie said: "When I started boxing, I knew that determination was a people assemblage that I tin entreaty to.

"I judge that I'm rather existent and I could conscionable entreaty to mean radical and I tin besides effort and animate arsenic galore radical that were oregon inactive are successful my presumption oregon were successful my presumption successful the past.

"So I thought to myself, there's decidedly a, a spread successful that marketplace for me. So from earlier I adjacent thought astir turning professional, I knew that."

Orie expects to combat regularly successful 2025 - and promises plentifulness of eyeballs - whether they are booing oregon cheering.

He said: "I'll beryllium very, precise busy, and it'll beryllium very, precise exciting.

"There'll beryllium radical gathering unneurotic watching Delicious Orie box, whether they don't similar maine oregon similar me, doesn't matter.

"They'll beryllium watching maine box."