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Degale: First round victory
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British middleweight James Degale impressed as he won his opening fight in Beijing with a convincing 13-4 success over Egyptian Mohamed Hikal.
With the pre-Games blow of losing Frankie Gavin, Team GB's boxers needed a lift and 22-year-old Londoner Degale supplied a much-needed boost with a comfortable victory.
Despite slipping behind after the first round of his opening fight at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium, Degale came back strongly and was a class above his Egyptian opponent.
Although in the past Degale has frozen on the big stage, this time he made no mistake and was clinical as he picked apart Hikal.
Next up for the middleweight hope in a ultra-competitive division will be American Shawn Estrada in the second round - before a likely quarter-final challenge against Russia's current world champion Matvey Korobov.
Degale said the whole team had been saddened by the loss of Gavin, but hoped his win would give his six remaining team-mates a big lift.
"I've got the team off to a good start and the team should be buzzing now," said Degale.
"We were all a bit down after what happened to Frankie then getting a bad draw.
"I was fighting a good fighter and in the last two rounds I got my rhythm but I still wasn't at my best.
"This is the biggest show on earth and I was a bit nervous. That pressure will be off me a bit in the second round."
