Anthony Joshua pleads with Team GB OIympian Delicious Orie to make retirement U-turn as he quits after one fight

ANTHONY JOSHUA has pleaded with Olympian Delicious Orie to reconsider his decision to retire.

Orie was eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Olympics but soon turned professional with Frank Warren – after snubbing an offer from the WWE.

The heavyweight won his debut against Milos Veletic in April – but laboured over the four rounds.

And only a month later and the 27-year-old announced he was retiring from boxing after just one pro bout.

But AJ – who used to spar Orie – spoke out to urge the Russian-born Brit not to walk away just yet.

He wrote on Instagram: “History repeats itself. Many of us wanted to stop at some stage.

“Some at the start, some in the middle and at some point all of us will have to stop.

“I think you should take your time but keep training! You have skills & have talent.”

Joshua accompanied the message with an old interview with Michael Spinks – the 1976 Olympic gold medalist – who later won world titles.

In the clip, Spinks was telling KO TV: “I heard boxing was not a pretty business for the boxers and also I was a little afraid of that.

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“I didn’t know how I well I would fare in the industry. So I just wanted to get a good job after winning the gold medal and then let that be.

“But things happened that pushed me into the pros and I just talking it one step at a time. I didn’t know I would go as far as I did.”

Despite Spinks’ concerns over turning pro, he would win world titles at light-heavyweight and heavyweight.

He also famously lost to Mike Tyson in 1988 – his final bout before retiring.

And Orie – like Spinks – credited wanting to get a job outside the ring as a reason for not wanting to fight on any further.

He posted: “After much reflection, I have decided to hang up my gloves and retire from boxing to follow up on my degree and enter the corporate world.

“This sport has given me so much — incredible memories, unforgettable experiences travelling the world and many opportunities to represent my country at the biggest stages in the world. Forever grateful for the journey.

“Over time, I’ve come to recognise that the same fire and love I once had for boxing has gradually faded.

“As I’ve grown, I’ve come to value clarity and honesty with myself above all.

“I hoped that turning professional would reignite the passion, but the truth has become clear: it hasn’t.

“Every fighter knows you need a deep love for the craft to reach the top — and without it, there’s no path forward.

“Out of respect for the sport and for myself, it’s time to step away with honesty.”

Anthony Joshua is edging closer to a return to the ring, with talks underway for a two-fight deal that could begin later this year in Saudi Arabia, The PUNCH reports.

The 35-year-old former heavyweight champion has been out of action in 2024 following elbow surgery, which was successfully completed in May.

Despite his absence from the ring, Joshua has been actively planning his comeback behind the scenes.

Earlier this month, Joshua revealed in an interview with ESPN Mexico that he was targeting a December return, dependent on his recovery. Now, momentum is building around a potential deal with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season to stage his comeback.

Reports from NoSmoke Sport initially suggested a three-fight deal was on the table, but Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has refuted that claim, clarifying that current discussions involve a two-fight plan.

“That’s not true,” Hearn told Boxing Scene.

“We are actually discussing a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season. Turki Alalshikh said that on the night of Canelo’s fight on May 3, when we had our meeting. And that’s the plan really, we want to box sometime this year, October, November, December.”

Anthony Joshua in talks for a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season

Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) hasn’t fought yet this year, but it’s now been revealed that he is targeting a comeback in the last quarter of 2025.

Watford’s Joshua was last in the ring in September 2024 when he was dominated by fellow Brit Daniel Dubois over five rounds at Wembley Stadium, losing out on his quest to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

That fourth defeat of his career had followed on from a four-fight win streak against lower-level competition in Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.

Prior to that run, AJ had lost back-to-back bouts with Oleksandr Usyk, who is preparing to fight Dubois on July 19.

After recovering from an injury earlier this year, Joshua is now targeting his ring return, which Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn shed some light on when talking to BoxingScene.

Hearn revealed that Joshua “wants to box sometime this year – October, November, December.”

He spoke with Turki Alalshikh on the night of Canelo vs William Scull on May 3, “Yeah, we are actually discussing a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season.”

He also gave an indication as to who they are targeting, “We’ll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk, we’ll see what happens with Fury. And if we don’t fight those guys, we’ll fight, and then maybe we’ll follow one of those guys next year.”

In terms of who AJ could fight instead of Dubois, Usyk or Fury, Hearn loosely said, “Two guys have been discussed, but nothing concrete.”

According to TalkSport, those “two guys” are Dillian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) and Jared Anderson (18-1, 15 KOs).

AJ and Dillian Whyte already fought, back in 2015. Joshua got revenge over his amateur rival with a seventh-round stoppage to win the vacant British heavyweight title, which had formerly been held by Tyson Fury. Four months later, he was crowned world champion for the first time.

Joshua and Whyte were all set to run it back in August 2023, until Dillian pulled out on fight week due to adverse findings in his drug tests. After a lengthy legal case, he was eventually cleared, but missed out on the lucrative rematch as well as 16 months of his boxing career.

Whyte has since defeated the Cristian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh in March and December 2024, respectively. Now 37, he was meant to fight Joe Joyce last April, but was forced to withdraw via injury. But now “The Body Snatcher” from Brixton is eager to get back out again.

Ohio’s Jared Anderson, 25, was enjoying a meteoric rise through the heavyweight ranks until it all came crashing down after a fifth-round KO at the hands of Martin Bakole in August 2024.

The double U.S. National amateur champion has since bounced back with a dominant unanimous decision win over Greek fighter Marios Kollias on Valentines Day this year.

The American is still highly-rated in terms of ability and potential, plus he is stock is still elevated, ranked in four of the five governing bodies, whereas Whyte’s inactivity has seen him drop out of the top 10.

Anthony Joshua hasn’t fought yet this year, but it’s not been revealed that he is targeting a comeback in the last quarter of 2025.

Joshua was last in the ring in September 2024 when he was dominated by fellow Brit Daniel Dubois over five rounds at Wembley Stadium.

That third defeat of his career had followed on from a four-fight win streak against lower-level competition in Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.

Prior to that run, AJ had lost back-to-back bouts with Oleksandr Usyk, who is preparing to fight Dubois on July 19.

After recovering from an injury earlier this year, Joshua is now targeting his ring return, which Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn shed some light on when talking to BoxingScene.

Hearn revealed that Joshua “wants to box sometime this year – October, November, December.”

He spoke with Turki Alalshikh on the night of Canelo vs William Scull on May 3, “Yeah, we are actually discussing a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season.”

He also gave an indication as to who they are targeting, “We’ll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk, we’ll see what happens with Fury. And if we don’t fight those guys, we’ll fight, and then maybe we’ll follow one of those guys next year.”

In terms of who AJ could fight instead of Dubois, Usyk or Fury, Hearn loosely said, “Two guys have been discussed, but nothing concrete.”

According to TalkSport, those “two guys” are Dillian Whyte (31-3, 21 KOs) and Jared Anderson (18-1, 15 KOs).

AJ and Dillian Whyte already fought, back in 2015. Joshua got revenge over his amateur rival with a seventh-round stoppage to win the vacant British heavyweight title. Four months later, he was crowned world champion for the first time.

Joshua and Whyte were all set to run it back in the summer of 2023, until Dillian pulled out on fight week due to adverse findings in his drug tests. After a lengthy legal case, he was eventually cleared, but missed out on the lucrative rematch as well as 16 months of his boxing career.

Whyte has since defeated the Cristian Hammer and Ebenezer Tetteh in March and December 2024, respectively. Now 37, he was meant to fight Joe Joyce last April, but was forced to withdraw through injury. “The Body Snatcher” from Brixton is eager to get back out again.

Ohio’s Jared Anderson, 25, was enjoying a meteoric rise through the heavyweight ranks until it all came crashing down after a fifth-round KO at the hands of Martin Bakole in August 2024.

The double U.S. National amateur champion has since bounced back with a dominant unanimous decision win over Greek fighter Marios Kollias on Valentines Day this year.

The American is still highly-rated in terms of ability and potential, plus he is stock is still elevated, ranked in four of the five governing bodies, whereas Whyte’s inactivity has seen him drop out of the top 10.

Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole has issued a bold challenge to British boxing star Anthony Joshua, expressing his desire to face him in a high-profile bout in Africa.

Speaking on Wednesday, Bakole claimed he is confident of knocking out the former unified heavyweight champion, adding that both fighters share an interest in staging the fight on African soil.

“Of course, for Africa. That’s not just my idea—it was His Excellency who requested that fight for Africa. Joshua is coming from Nigeria, I’m coming from Congo. We both want this fight in Africa. Joshua is still on my list,” Bakole said.

“For me, I think he’s finished already. I will knock him out, I think so,” he added.

Joshua, who began his professional boxing career in 2013 after a successful amateur run starting in 2007, rose to fame with a streak of 20 consecutive knockouts. He captured his first world title in 2016 by defeating Charles Martin via second-round KO.

However, his first professional setback came in 2019, when he suffered a shocking defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden. Joshua bounced back later that year, reclaiming his titles in a dominant rematch.

Now in the latter stages of his career, Joshua may have a few high-stakes fights left—and Bakole is eager to be one of them.

Despite his ambitions, Bakole’s recent form has raised questions. He was knocked out by Joseph Parker in February after stepping in as a last-minute replacement and later fought to a draw against Efe Ajagba, a bout many believed he narrowly escaped losing.

Meanwhile, rising heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma is also reportedly being lined up as a potential opponent for Bakole, after his impressive knockout win last weekend.

Powerful boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, the group chairman at Matchroom and long-time representative of Anthony Joshua, has revealed a timeline for when the two-time heavyweight world champion fighter will return to the boxing ring, and whom he will likely return against.

Though Hearn and ‘AJ’ will continue to monitor Tyson Fury’s whereabouts, and whether he’ll return to the fight game after announcing another of his retirements, and depending on what happens in the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois rematch this summer, discussions have taken place with two alternative opponents.

Joshua remains a hot commodity in combat sports because of his mainstream appeal and an interest in whether he still has what it takes to compete at the highest echelons of the sport, considering how brutally Dubois annihilated him last year. However, this new two-man hit-list could get Joshua back on track.

Eddie Hearn Reveals Anthony Joshua’s New Two-Man Hit-list

Joshua in talks for a new deal with Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh

Joshua has one of the deepest resumes in the modern heavyweight era as he’s beaten Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin, among others. After back-to-back losses to Usyk, he rebounded with thumping wins over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou before Dubois de-railed his plans to become a three-time heavyweight king, like Muhammad Ali.

Hearn told Boxing Scene that he’s had discussions about “a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season” — and that may not even include fights against Fury, or the Usyk-Dubois rematch. He said boxing financier Turki Alalshikh met with him on the night Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez defeated William Scull in a lackluster display in Saudi Arabia, and talked about plans for the future.

On when Joshua could return to the ring for the first time since the devastating defeat to Dubois, Hearn said:

When it came to specific opponents, he added: “We’ll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk, we’ll see what happens with Fury. And if we don’t fight those guys, we’ll fight, and then maybe we’ll follow one of those guys next year.”

Speculation over alternative opponents has arisen in recent times, with Dillian Whyte, who Joshua has fought and beaten before, and American contender Jared Anderson, both linked to Joshua. “Two guys that have been discussed, but nothing concrete,” said Hearn.

Joshua is 35 and turns 36 on October 15 — around the time Hearn wants the boxer to return to the ring.