Stepping away from a professional boxing career just a few years after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games might seem a strange decision for some – but not Delicious Orie.
Orie, who retired from the sport last May, has now embarked on a career in the financial world, which offers him something boxing couldn’t – fulfilment.
Orie spoke to MoneyWeek on the latest episode of the MoneyWeek Talks podcast, which can be viewed on YouTube and most podcast platforms.
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He said: “I was no longer fulfilled in the sport of boxing. I signed a very good professional contract, and I was going to earn good money, money that I know I’ll probably never earn again. And I didn’t feel anything.”
Instead, Orie, now based in the West Midlands, is training to be a financial planner and help people reach their financial goals. Ultimately, the decision to make the switch was all about making peoples’ lives better.
Orie says: “One of the things I absolutely loved about boxing was the capability of me to be able to travel the world and speak to so many different types of people and understand people’s culture, appreciate the way they perceive life.
“So I thought, 'Right, as an investment manager, is that something that I’ll be able to get?' Because I value that so much…with the very limited research I did, over time I found out that investment management might not be that thing I’m looking for.
“So [I did] a little bit more research and I came across financial advice where you’re able to have that connection to the investment management world, but at the same time have that connection to people and enrich peoples’ lives, financially. So I thought, 'Right, that’s what I’m going to do’."
How boxing and early childhood experience has shaped his financial career
Despite leaving the sport, boxing nurtured plenty of skills in Orie that transfer to the financial world – namely discipline, drive and "obsession".
It was this drive that prompted his decision to complete his initial financial planning exams in five months, a process which can take up to two years for some.
He says: "When I stopped boxing, I thought, 'Right, let me just take it easy'. Since I was 18, I was constantly pushing myself and my body to the next level. I was addicted to it.
“When I stopped boxing, I was like, 'Right let me be present', only to realise that probably about two months after I stopped boxing, I cannot do normal things…I have to consistently push myself to a point where it feels a little overwhelming.”
His early childhood helped pique his interest in financial literacy too.
Describing himself as a business “nerd” growing up, he adds: “I loved business at the time…I’m not talking business in the sense of making money, more in a sense of understanding the inner workings of business and why business and trade happens."
He adds: “I think it stemmed from, as a child, as a family, we didn’t have much, and you sort of question that as a kid.
“You think to yourself, 'Why is that my mum would work 50-hour weeks, 60-hour weeks, and I could barely afford lunch?’”
Why financial literacy gives you ‘control’ over your life
Although he walked away from a lucrative career in boxing, Orie’s biggest regret isn’t hanging up his gloves.
He says: “People were saying, ‘You’ve walked away from potentially multi-millions of pounds’, and I could look them in the eye and say ‘yeah’, and genuinely feel so clean within me.
“Like, ‘Yeah I know I did’, so do I regret boxing? No. What do I regret? I would say investing. Not investing early enough.”
He adds: “If there’s one message I can give and send to the younger generation, [it’s] open up a junior ISA or something. Just do the most random job, do some pot washing, open up a bank account, under your parents or whatever, just put some money in…£10 a week, £20 a week. I promise you, it will pay dividends, huge dividends when you’re 30, 35 years old.”
That’s not the only piece of wisdom he has for the younger generation either. Orie is passionate about spreading the message that financial literacy gives you agency over your life.
“I say this to the younger generation – a pound of debt that you get into is a piece of your future that somebody controls…if you are not in control of money, money will control you,” he says.
“And this [applies] from somebody who’s a high net-worther to somebody who is just about scraping by, it doesn’t matter where you are on that spectrum.”
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MoneyWeek Talks is a podcast that helps you unlock the secrets to financial success. Editors Kalpana Fitzpatrick and Andrew van Sickle are joined by influential guests – from CEOs and entrepreneurs to economists and policymakers – to share their top tips on managing money, investing wisely and building wealth.
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