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Degale: Solid
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James Degale handed the Great British boxing team a major boost as he battled his way into the middleweight quarter-finals.
After a slow start in his clash with the United States' Shawn Estrada, with the first round remaining scoreless, the 22-year old began to dominate the encounter and eventually sealed an impressive 11-5 victory.
The Harlesden youngster will now face Kazakhstan's 2004 Olympic welterweight champion Bakhtiyar Artayev, who beat world champion Matvey Korobov, knowing he is just one fight away from a guaranteed bronze medal.
It will be third time the pair have met in the ring, with the first seeing Artayev defeat the British boxer before Degale avenged the loss with a 19-16 victory in January, including a first round knock-down of the Kazakh.
Good fights
"We've had two good fights. The first fight was close but Terry pulled me out because I had a cut and I wasn't completely fit. In the second fight I caught him with a good shot but that was close too," Degale said.
"I just pray to God I can win a medal. It would mean everything to me. It's why I've boxed for 12 years and why I've spent the last two years training up in Sheffield five days a week."
Degale's victory helped to ease the disappointment of Khalid Yafai's loss to Andris Laffita in the flyweight division.
In his opening contest of the Olympics the 19-year-old from Birmingham battled bravely at the Workers' Gymnasium.
However, he proved no match for his stylish, experienced opponent who opened up an early lead and never looked likely surrendering it.
It took Yafai until the second round to register a point and although he piled on the pressure, Laffita's accurate shots meant he couldn't bridge the gap. The contest ended 9-3.
Despite the defeat the teenager was not too downhearted, insisting the Beijing experience had been crucial in his development as he already looks ahead to London 2012.
Experience
"I did everything I could out there and I thought it was closer," Yafai said.
"But I'm not saying he didn't win. The Cuban's a very good, experienced fighter and he'll probably go on to win the gold medal.
"This has all been a great experience for me. One year ago I wasn't even thinking of reaching the Beijing Olympics.
"I'm definitely staying amateur for London and that will be my target once I get over this disappointment."
Elsewhere, Irish middleweight Darren Sutherland stopped Algeria's Nabil Kassel in the fourth round, also moving himself to within one fight of a medal.
Sutherland held a one point advantage going into the fourth, with Kassel quickly levelling processions, but the Irishman forced three counts to end the contest.
"It was a tough and entertaining fight. I'm never in a dull fight. There was never a period where I was trying to protect my lead. I'm always going to fight right to the end," Sutherland said.
