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By Sportsmail Reporter
European champions Andrew Selby and Fred Evans extended Great Britain's fine start to the Olympic boxing competition at ExCeL with last-16 victories in their respective flyweight and welterweight divisions.
The Welsh pair each stand one more win from a medal after confident performances, with Evans producing a fine last round to beat Egidijus Kavaliauskas 13-11 and Selby carving a 19-15 verdict over tough Kazakh Ilyas Suleimenov.
Selby said of Suleimenov: 'He was a really tough opponent but I was a bit faster that him. I would have liked to have gone in a bit quicker but I did what I had to do. I've sparred him before so I knew what he was going to do, and I got better as the fight went on.'
He's done it: Fred Evans reacts after defeating Lithuania's Egidijus Kavaliauska
Selby had nudged ahead by a single point at the end of the third round, but countered superbly in the second to increase his lead to four. In a gruelling third, Selby was given a two-point warning for holding, but his accuracy deservedly saw him through.
The 22-year-old from Barry is renowned for being nervous in front of the television cameras but admitted his own nerves paled into insignificance compared with those of his mother Frances, who was present to watch her son for only the second time.
Selby added: "I used to get properly nervous but I'm better now as I've got used to it. My mum hates it. The only time she saw me before tonight, she had to keep going in and out. But I'm sure she was delighted with what happened."
On the attack: Evans gets on top of Kavaliauska
Earlier, Evans pulled out one of the best last rounds of his career to claim a dramatic revenge victory over Lithuanian puncher Kavaliauskas and move closer to realising his dream of an Olympic medal.
Evans and his opponent were locked together at 5-5 after two rounds of an absorbing contest, but a spectacular finish saw the Welshman start with a succession of scoring rights and charge home for a comfortable 11-7 win.
The win was doubly sweet for 21-year-old Evans, who had been knocked down and stopped by Kavaliauskas in last year's World Championships in Baku, in the bout immediately following his qualification for the Games.
European champions Andrew Selby and Fred Evans extended Great Britain's fine start to the Olympic boxing competition at ExCeL with last-16 victories in their respective flyweight and welterweight divisions.
The Welsh pair each stand one more win from a medal after confident performances, with Evans producing a fine last round to beat Egidijus Kavaliauskas 13-11 and Selby carving a 19-15 verdict over tough Kazakh Ilyas Suleimenov.
Selby said of Suleimenov: 'He was a really tough opponent but I was a bit faster that him. I would have liked to have gone in a bit quicker but I did what I had to do. I've sparred him before so I knew what he was going to do, and I got better as the fight went on.'
He's done it: Fred Evans reacts after defeating Lithuania's Egidijus Kavaliauska
Selby had nudged ahead by a single point at the end of the third round, but countered superbly in the second to increase his lead to four. In a gruelling third, Selby was given a two-point warning for holding, but his accuracy deservedly saw him through.
The 22-year-old from Barry is renowned for being nervous in front of the television cameras but admitted his own nerves paled into insignificance compared with those of his mother Frances, who was present to watch her son for only the second time.
Selby added: "I used to get properly nervous but I'm better now as I've got used to it. My mum hates it. The only time she saw me before tonight, she had to keep going in and out. But I'm sure she was delighted with what happened."
On the attack: Evans gets on top of Kavaliauska
Earlier, Evans pulled out one of the best last rounds of his career to claim a dramatic revenge victory over Lithuanian puncher Kavaliauskas and move closer to realising his dream of an Olympic medal.
Evans and his opponent were locked together at 5-5 after two rounds of an absorbing contest, but a spectacular finish saw the Welshman start with a succession of scoring rights and charge home for a comfortable 11-7 win.
The win was doubly sweet for 21-year-old Evans, who had been knocked down and stopped by Kavaliauskas in last year's World Championships in Baku, in the bout immediately following his qualification for the Games.
Nearly there: Evans is one win away from a guaranteed medal
Evans, who started in a much more composed fashion than his wild and woolly first-round win over Algeria's Ilyas Abbadi, said while that particular loss had not played on his mind, the danger posed by Kavaliauskas made him a good man to beat.
Evans said: "This was the main fight I wanted to get away but I didn't really think about what happened before. I knew I had the beating of him and that kind of pressure has never been an issue with me.
"Sunday was a big shock in terms of the atmosphere but I knew what to expect this time. If anything maybe I boxed too cagey in the first two rounds. Then I told myself I had to switch on and do what I had to do.
Joy and despair: Evans celebrates his win over Kavaliauska
"Winning an Olympic medal has always been a dream of mine and now I'm one fight away from achieving it. I'm the youngest on our team and younger than most of my opponents too, and it just shows me how much talent I've got."
Suddenly Evans, who came to the Games relatively under the radar, finds himself one of the hottest boxing tickets in town. He will also have to get used to being a big medal favorite when he takes on Canada's Custio Clayton on Tuesday with a guaranteed medal at stake.
Squeezing through: Andrew Selby of edged out Ilyas Suleimenov of Kazakhstan
Meanwhile, Olympic boxing humiliation was complete for the United States' men in London after last-16 defeats for Raushee Warren and Errol Spence left the country with no fighters left and no medals.
Flyweight third seed Warren lost 19-18 to Frenchman Nordine Oubaali in a nail-biting finish while Spence, a Dallas-based 22-year-old, went down at least with some spark against third-seeded Indian Krishan Vikas in the welterweight division.
Evans, who started in a much more composed fashion than his wild and woolly first-round win over Algeria's Ilyas Abbadi, said while that particular loss had not played on his mind, the danger posed by Kavaliauskas made him a good man to beat.
Evans said: "This was the main fight I wanted to get away but I didn't really think about what happened before. I knew I had the beating of him and that kind of pressure has never been an issue with me.
"Sunday was a big shock in terms of the atmosphere but I knew what to expect this time. If anything maybe I boxed too cagey in the first two rounds. Then I told myself I had to switch on and do what I had to do.
Joy and despair: Evans celebrates his win over Kavaliauska
"Winning an Olympic medal has always been a dream of mine and now I'm one fight away from achieving it. I'm the youngest on our team and younger than most of my opponents too, and it just shows me how much talent I've got."
Suddenly Evans, who came to the Games relatively under the radar, finds himself one of the hottest boxing tickets in town. He will also have to get used to being a big medal favorite when he takes on Canada's Custio Clayton on Tuesday with a guaranteed medal at stake.
Squeezing through: Andrew Selby of edged out Ilyas Suleimenov of Kazakhstan
Meanwhile, Olympic boxing humiliation was complete for the United States' men in London after last-16 defeats for Raushee Warren and Errol Spence left the country with no fighters left and no medals.
Flyweight third seed Warren lost 19-18 to Frenchman Nordine Oubaali in a nail-biting finish while Spence, a Dallas-based 22-year-old, went down at least with some spark against third-seeded Indian Krishan Vikas in the welterweight division.
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