Birmingham's amateur boxing star Delicious Orie scoops up gold
England's Delicious Orie fought back from behind to win the Commonwealth Games men's super-heavyweight gold medal and end the boxing event with a victory that left the home crowd ecstatic.
West Midlander Orie, 25, trains in Birmingham and beat India's Sagar Sagar in the NEC Arena to claim England's second gold medal of the day.
On a busy day with 16 golds available, Scotland won three and Wales took two. Northern Ireland siblings Aidan Walsh and Michaela Walsh helped their nation win five gold medals on Sunday.
Northern Ireland dominated the finals to clinch their place at the top of the boxing medal table at Birmingham 2022.
Michaela Walsh won the women's welterweight title after having to settle for silver in 2014 and 2018, hours after her brother Aidan triumphed in the men's light-middleweight.
Featherweight Jude Gallagher won gold after receiving a walkover in the final, with bantamweight Dylan Eagleson and lightweight Amy Broadhurst also successful for Northern Ireland.
The Scottish trio of middleweight Sam Hickey, light-heavyweight Sean Lazzerini and light-welterweight Reese Lynch won their final bouts, while Wales picked up gold medals through light-middleweight Rosie Eccles and welterweight Ioan Croft.
Orie looks to emulate Joshua after home win
The biggest cause of celebration came when Orie – dubbed by some as the 'new Anthony Joshua' – recovered to beat Sagar with a patient performance, which was tipped in his favour by a late flurry of punches.
Orie, who was born in Russia but grew up in Wolverhampton after his family moved to England when he was a child, took up the sport in his late teens at the Jewellery Quarter Boxing Club in Birmingham, sparring alongside Everton Red Triangle's newest recruit, Boma Brown.
He has been one of the poster boys for the Games and it felt fitting – certainly for the emotionally-invested home fans – that he was victorious in the final boxing bout.
After losing the opening round on the cards of all five judges, Orie recovered in the second round as his long left jab started to become more effective.
The pair were locked at 19-19 on all the cards going into the final round, with Orie landing a right uppercut and quickly following that with a right hook to seal a points victory by unanimous decision.
"I was an emotional wreck earlier but when that final bell went I knew I had it in the bag. The only way I did it was through the support of the fans," said Orie.
"I had two rounds to prove myself and I'd never heard a roar like that. The English fans are the best in the world.
"I was determined to not let anyone else win. I've never felt anything like this."
Orie, who has sparred with Joshua in the past, says the "sky is the limit" for his career.
"My inspiration has always been Anthony Joshua and what he has achieved is the bare minimum. I am the next generation and we are going to excel."
Orie's success came after team-mate Lewis Williams won England's first boxing gold of the Games after beating Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali.
The 23-year-old asserted his dominance over the Samoan in the men's heavyweight final to win by a unanimous points ruling.
In the morning session, England's Kiaran MacDonald lost out on a gold medal in the flyweight final to India's Amit Panghal, while minimumweight fighter Demie-Jade Resztan also missed out to India's Nitu Ghanghas.
