Team GB boxer Qais Ashfaq has set his sights on gold at the 2015 European Games after coming through his testing last-16 fight against the experienced Selcuk Eker on Friday.
Bantamweight Ashfaq won by a split decision in Baku, and will fight German Omar El-Hag in the quarter-finals of the showpiece event on Monday.
Ashfaq, who beat Georgian Giorgi Gogatishvili in his first bout at the Games, spoke to Sports Mole immediately after his impressive showing.
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Congratulations Qais! How pleased are you to be sitting here as a quarter-finalist?
"I thought that I had won it. The first round was close. First of all, thanks to the man upstairs, thanks to God. [Eker]'s a tough kid, he's been around for years and went to the 2012 Olympics. He is one of the only people that I will box that is smaller than me so I couldn't let him beat me!
"He was very strong, and he caught me with a couple of shots, but I kept tight today. Every time I slipped a shot, he would dive over and to be honest I felt great. The coaches have got me really fit and I kept punching when he was tired despite the fact that he was supposed to be the aggressor. I felt great and I am glad that I got the win. I now need to push on and win the gold."
Were you worried that the vocal support for Eker was going to influence the judges?
"The first round was very close, and you cannot leave it close against these kids. He won the first round, but somewhere else, I might have won it. He hit me with one or two shots, but I thought that I was hitting him with the cleaner shots.
"Because it was over here, he got that first round, but I was a bit busier second and third round and we have been working on this thing where every time I go the corner, I forget about the round and just reset, switch back on and come out like it is the first round. That is exactly what I did and it got me the win."
And what about your quarter-final opponent Omar El-Hag? What do you make of him?
"I have actually boxed him before, I boxed him in Germany and I beat him in Germany. He's a tough kid, he's game, he keeps coming and he's strong as well, but I am on good form and I am confident of getting another win."
How important is it to win gold this summer? Is that your main focus, or is qualification for the World Championships what you ultimately came for?
"I have not come to this tournament for anything less than that gold medal. Obviously qualifying for the World Championships is one of the main reasons we are here, but once I have done that, it will be the icing on the cake to win the gold medal."
Matt Law
