Anthony Ogogo and Anthony Joshua became the latest British boxers to make certain of a medal at the London Olympics.
Ogogo was the first of the duo to assure himself of at least a bronze, recording an impressive 15-10 win over German Stefan Hartel.
The Lowestoft middleweight made a fast start at the ExCeL, using some crisp counter-shots to open up an early 5-2 advantage on the judges' cards after the first round.
He extended his lead by a further point in the second and produced the cleaner work in the final three minutes, though not without the odd scare.
"I feel good but it's not enough. I've always dreamed of becoming Olympic champion, not the bronze medallist. It's a nice insurance policy but I've dreamed of being Olympic champion since I was 12 years old," Ogogo said.
Next up for the 23-year-old will be Brazilian Esquiva Falcao, who beat Ogogo 17-12 in the last 16 of last year's World Championship.
However the Brit was hampered in that bout by a chronic shoulder injury that at one stage threatened his participation at the 2012 Games.
"The Brazilian is one of the best fighters in the world, but every time I threw my right hand it felt like my arm was going to fall off. I'm looking forward to getting in the ring and doing a lot better next time," he added.
Meanwhile, Joshua reached the super-heavyweight semi-finals with a 15-11 triumph over Zhilei Zhang.
The Finchley-born fighter was fortunate to get past Cuban Erislandy Savon in his first bout, but he justified some of the hype surrounding him by flooring his Chinese rival in front of a vociferous crowd.
A cagey opening round saw both fighters stick out range-finding jabs, although Joshua did get through with some straight rights to lead 3-1.
The fight exploded to life in the second, though, as a big right hand sent Zhang toppling to the canvas and Joshua's continued assault should have earned more than an 8-6 advantage.
He then had to withstand some rare assaults from Zhang in the third to set up a showdown with Kazakhstan's Ivan Dychko in the last four.
