For most boxers, the dream of competing at an Olympics is a fleeting one; the ultimate ambition is becoming a world champion in the professional ranks. Tony Jeffries is different. Boxing at an Olympics was really what he wanted; to win a medal his ambition.

That goal was realised yesterday when the light-heavyweight from Sunderland was guaranteed a bronze medal by reaching the semi-finals after a 10-2 win over Imre Szello, of Hungary.

Two years ago, Jeffries was making his living selling burgers from a van outside a shopping centre, but for the 23-year-old, the talk was not of £1million offers from promoters, but rather the hope that his grant money would continue so that he could box at London 2012.

“A lot of boxers say they want to go pro and win titles, but for me, especially since I saw Audley Harrison and Amir Khan do it, it's all been about wanting to go to the Olympics,” Jeffries said. “It's the proudest moment of my life.”

Back to reality for golden generation

Olympic heroes will discover if the last 17 days has been a life-changing experience or a glorious but brief interlude

• Team GB to be rewarded with gold for gold

• Hard work starts now as British sailors look towards London 2012

• Public support gained from success in Beijing needs to last four years

Background

• How the Brits became world beaters

• London double-decker arrives in Beijing

• Olympics proves capacity for greatness

• New dawn for British sport as Olympic sun sets

Multimedia

• Simon Barnes in Beijing

• Bring back the tug-of-war

• Top 100 Olympic athletes of all time

Related Links

• Price medal guarantee eases British pressure

• Price leads race to raise bar for Britain

• Price shows top form to beat world No1

The mood was so different from his first bout, last Thursday, when Jeffries had edged past Eleider Álvarez, of Colombia, on a countback, boxing as if he had an eye on the scoreboard. But with a medal at stake, Jeffries moved well and beat Szello to the punch. The Hungarian won the first point, but Jeffries was 7-1 up by midway through the third round, scoring repeatedly with his right cross. He finished that session with a 9-2 lead and forced Szello to take a standing count as he cruised through the last.

“For the last two years, I've dedicated my life to getting here and to win a medal is amazing,” Jeffries said. “When you get the first fight out of the way, the nerves go and I showed far more what I can do.”

In the semi-finals on Friday, Jeffries will face Kenny Egan, of Ireland. The pair met in June at the European Union Amateur Championships, in Cetniewo, Poland, with Egan winning the title on a cuts stoppage at the end of the third round, by which time he had built a 14-7 advantage.

With David Price having reached the super-heavyweight semi-finals on Monday, Great Britain are guaranteed more than one boxing medal at a single Games for the first time since Munich 1972. James DeGale will aim to reach the semi-finals in the middleweight division today when he faces Bakhtiyar Artayev, of Kazakhstan.