Pat McCormack and Ben Whittaker both sealed medals for Team GB after triumphs in the Tokyo Olympics on Friday.
Meanwhile, the precociously talented Caroline Dubois, younger sister of pro heavyweight contender Daniel, continued her stirring run in Japan with a keenly-fought victory over American Rashida Ellis.
McCormack and Whittaker’s wins both guarantee a podium finish and the minimum of a bronze medal.
Darlaston, West Midlands, light-heavyweight Whittaker, 24, pipped Brazil’s Keno Machado with a narrow 3-2 win in their quarter-final. Machado posed issues with his aggression, but the cleaner work of Whittaker in the third and final round saw him home. He meets dangerous Russian Imam Khataev in the semi-final on Sunday.
Welterweight talent McCormack, from Washington, Tyne & Wear, was a 4-1 victor over tough Uzbek Bobo Baturov. McCormack, 26, suffered a cut after a head clash but retained his cool to impress the judges with his fluid combinations and clever counters. He meets Ireland’s Aidan Walsh in the semi-final on Sunday.
Team GB is now guaranteed a minimum of three boxing medals. Macclesfield’s female featherweight Karriss Artingstall, 26, has already secured at least a bronze ahead of her semi-final with Japan’s Sena Irie tomorow.
Greenwich’s Dubois, only 20, moved into the women’s lightweight quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Team USA’s Ellis, with the two other judges scoring the bout even.
The well-schooled Dubois prevailed with her pinpoint lead and left-hand work. Ellis was deducted a point for hitting on the break in the third in a close encounter.
Main image: Pat McCormack. Photo: Alamy/Reuters.