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Boxing

Team GB's Pat McCormack and Ben Whittaker guaranteed Olympic boxing medals; Caroline Dubois advances

Liam Happe
Team GB's Pat McCormack and Ben Whittaker guaranteed Olympic boxing medals; Caroline Dubois advancesDAZN
It was a productive day for Team GB at the Olympic boxing in Tokyo.

While many Brits were fast asleep in the early hours of Friday morning, three members of the Great Britain Olympic boxing squad secured three big wins at Tokyo 2020.

Pat McCormack, one of Team GB's biggest medal hopes heading into the Games, won his welterweight quarter-final against Bobo-Usmon Baturov of Uzbekistan on points, 4-1. McCormack weathered a cut from a clash of heads to make the semi-finals, meaning he is guaranteed a medal of some variety.

His next assignment will be a big one, however, as he takes on Ireland's talented prospect Aidan Walsh. The loser of that contest will earn a bronze medal, while the winner will be one win away from gold.

“It’s unbelievable, it’s something I’ve always dreamed of, to get a medal at the Olympics,” McCormack explained after the win. “But now’s the time to change the colour. Gold is the dream and then I’ve completed amateur boxing.

“I’m getting better in each fight, I’m warming into the tournament and hopefully I just keep getting better.”

Meanwhile at light-heavyweight, Ben Whittaker finds himself in a similar scenario having seen off Brazilian Keno Machado 3-2 on points to secure a bronze at worst.

Standing between Whittaker and a gold or silver is Imam Khataev, who was born in Russia.

“I’ve said after every fight that a bronze is nothing, a silver is nothing. But when you actually do get that feeling, I couldn’t help but let the emotion out of me,” admitted Whittaker.

“I was crying, bogeys were flying everywhere! I tried to keep as calm as I could, but I couldn’t help it. I’ve got to compose myself and Sunday is when it gets real.”

Caroline Dubois, the little sister of heavyweight contender Daniel Dubois, continued her own path to make it 3-for-3 overnight for Team GB.

Her lightweight 3-0 points success over American Rashida Ellis in the round of 16 means her next bout, vs. Thailand's Sudaporn Seesondee on Tuesday, will be for a guaranteed podium finish.