Great Britain’s Ben Whittaker will compete for Olympic gold after “a masterclass” win over Imam Khataev saw him into the 81kg final at Tokyo 2020.
The 24-year-old lost the opening round of his semi-final but boxed and moved with a slick style to beat the fancied Russian on a 4:1 split decision.
“I’ve had so much social media saying ‘the Russian lad will knock you out’,” Whittaker told BBC Sport.
“Nobody was beating me today and we don’t stop here.”
He added: “I think I put on a masterclass and on to the next one.”
Arlen Lopez of Cuba or Loren Berto Alfonso Dominguez of Azerbaijan await Whittaker in the final on 4 August.
His win follows on from Great Britain’s recent success in Tokyo, with Pat McCormack also set for an Olympic final, while Karriss Artingstall has secured bronze, and a number of athletes remain in with a chance of a medal in their respective weight categories.
Great Britain are therefore guaranteed to pass their haul of three medals – won by Joe Joyce, Joshua Buatsi and Nicola Adams – at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
