Boxing: Best of British team battle into Baku finals at Worlds

GREAT BRITAIN’S history-making boxing team will send a trio of fighters into today’s World Championship finals in Baku after semi-final wins for Luke Campbell, Andrew Selby and Anthony Joshua.

Great Britain have already guaranteed a team-record four medals – with Thomas Stalker forced to settle for bronze – and booked five guaranteed Olympic places, with Welshman Fred Evans also qualifying.

For 22-year-old Barry flyweight Andrew Selby, already the reigning European champion, there will be the extra incentive of knowing victory over Misha Aloyan will also secure his place at 2012 at the expense of domestic rival Khalid Yafai. Selby produced a sleek and mature performance today to overturn a first-round deficit and beat Uzbekistan’s Jasurbek Latipov 21-15, guaranteeing his first world final place against the formidable Russian.

Hull bantamweight Campbell edged a countback decision over Ireland’s John Joe Nevin after a 12-12 draw, to make his first world final. Both Campbell and Nevin had already done enough to qualify for the Olympics.

Super-heavyweight Joshua wrapped up an extraordinary day of success when the 21-year-old stopped Germany’s Erik Pfeifer in round one to reach the final.