Bilston boxer Delicious Orie seeded second for Olympics

The 27-year-old, from Bilston, is the only member of the six-strong GB boxing squad heading to the Games to have been given a seeding by the International Olympic Committee.

Orie booked his place in Paris by winning last summer’s European Games and has been allocated one of the top four seedings at random courtesy of that success. Defending champion Bakhodir Jalolov, of Uzbekistan, has been seeded fourth after winning last year’s Asian Games, meaning he and Orie are on course to meet in the semi- finals.

Javolov beat Britain’s Frazer Clarke at the same stage on route to winning gold in Tokyo three summers ago. America’s Joshua Edwards is the number one seed in Paris, where boxing will get under way on July 27.

Orie, gold medallist at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, heads to France as a genuine medal contender with the chance to continue his remarkable journey in a sport he only took up at the age of 18.

Born in Moscow to Nigerian and Russian parents, he was inspired to take up boxing after watching former Olympic champion Anthony Joshua win his first professional title and now hopes to follow in his hero’s footsteps.

After winning the European Games to book his place in Paris, he began this year with three straight defeats but he will go to the Olympics on the back of a points win over Norway’s Omar Mohamed Shiha last month.