Rob McCracken backs Delicious Orie to follow in Anthony Joshua's footsteps

By Paul Martin

The coach who oversaw Anthony Joshua’s stratospheric rise believes Delicious Orie has what it takes to follow in his footsteps.

Orie has long been known as ‘the next AJ’ and will look to become Team GB’s first Olympic super heavyweight gold medallist since Joshua when he heads across the Channel this summer.

Rob McCracken was Joshua’s long-term coach before a well-publicised split and is now overseeing Orie’s Paris preparations as GB Boxing’s performance director.

“They are different boxers and different people,” McCracken said.

“But much like back in 2012 with Joshua, he has lots of potential and it will be interesting to see his journey after the Olympics as he moves forward.

“Hopefully he will do just as well as Joshua did. He (Orie) is a talented boxer, very driven and determined, and boxed tremendously well at the qualifier.

“He has good ability, good skill and our job is to give him the right opportunities up until the games.

“His future depends on what he wants to do. Much like Joshua, he’s not hugely experienced, but he’s in that part of the journey where the Olympics is exciting to him and that’s all he’s focusing on, trying to achieve something at the Games, which is always very difficult.

“Hopefully he can replicate his performances in the last couple of summers.”

Orie won European Games gold last year to punch his Paris ticket having claimed Commonwealth Games glory on home soil at Birmingham 2022.

He is part of a six-strong British boxing squad competing this summer, down from 11 in Tokyo and 12 in Rio.

“Of course it would be nice to have as many going as possible but the boxers who are going are good, they are medal contenders,” McCracken added.

“The three-year cycle, with Covid beforehand, made it tough. The pathway halted for a while, for understandable reasons, and there were certain tournaments we normally go to which we weren’t able to.

“There have been a few challenges, to say the least, but we are heading out with a strong team.”

All six are among over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support.

Charley Davison is the only returning Olympian in the squad, with the remaining five preparing for their debuts.

McCracken believes the mum-of-three will be stronger for her Tokyo experience, when she bowed out in the second round.

“Charley hadn’t been on the programme that long when Tokyo came around and she has improved massively since then,” he said.

“She is looking to put that right in Paris and hopefully she can win a medal. She’s experienced now, she knows what it’s all about, she’s worked hard on the different styles of boxers she’ll be up against and she’s in a great place.

“UK Sport put the medal targets in place so we don’t have to, but all six of them have the potential to medal. It’s always draw-dependent but they have the potential to do it.”

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