High expectations can be a very dangerous thing. James DeGale yesterday became only the fourth British boxer in half a century to reach an Olympic final, but losses for David Price and Tony Jeffries, which leave the pair with the consolation of a bronze medal, gave the day a slightly empty feeling.

DeGale will box at lunchtime today for the middleweight gold medal - a title won 40 years ago by another West Londoner, Chris Finnegan - against Emilio Correa Jr, a Cuban who not only has the pedigree of the fine boxing nation, but also a fine bloodline of his own.

Correa's father, Emilio Sr, won Olympic gold at welterweight in 1972, alongside the great Teófilo Stevenson in the first crop of Cubans that set the trend for their domination of the sport at amateur level ever since. He has also beaten DeGale twice, but DeGale, long viewed as an underachiever, has seemed a changed character at these Olympics.

He reversed previous form to beat Darren Sutherland, of Ireland, in his semi-final yesterday, boxing beautifully on the back foot and controlling the bout from the start to run out a 10-3 winner.

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“I had a feeling in my bones this was going to happen,” DeGale, 22, said. “I was dreaming about this four weeks ago in Macau when we were training. I set the pace nicely. On my day I can beat anybody. If I'm right in my head and training's right, I'm the man. I listened properly this time, even about the early nights.”

Sutherland had beaten DeGale in four of their previous five meetings, but DeGale made Sutherland miss early on, picked him off and then opened up when the Irishman's efforts became more desperate.

DeGale lost to Correa in February and also three years ago, on the show that featured a rematch of Amir Khan's 2004 Olympics final against Mario Kindelán, another Cuban. “The first time I had just come off the mumps and wasn't that fit, the second time I lost by about eight points, but it should have been closer,” he said. “I need nice clean shots and I can win.”

In fact, DeGale lost 21-7 last time to Correa, but having beaten Bakhtiyar Artayev, who won a gold medal at the last Olympics, Correa should hold no fears.

“Go home, get a haircut, go for a Chinese,” was the to-do list Price gave after his Olympic dream was brutally cut short by Roberto Cammarelle. The Italian world champion wrecked Price's Olympics, giving him two standing counts on the way to stopping him in the second round. The 6ft 9in super-heavyweight from Liverpool was never able to get his jab going, as the Italian took the bout right to him, catching him repeatedly with the right hook.

“I just feel like all the good work I've put in has gone down the pan with that performance,” Price said. “He caught me cold in the first, he was one sharp b*****d, but the tactics didn't go the way I thought. We thought he was going to box on the back foot, but he surprised me and came at me. Credit to him, the best man won on the night.

“It's been a fantastic journey the way things have worked out up until today. I'll have to sit down and have a think, because I've got to be proud of myself for winning a medal.

“I'm disappointed with my performance. I expected to go in and dominate him and it just didn't happen. I might have even underestimated him, even though he is a world champion.”

Jeffries always faced a tough task against Kenny Egan, of Ireland, and was beaten 10-3. The first round ended level at 1-1, but in a scrappy second the Irishman pulled into a 4-1 lead by virtue of being busier and extended it to 8-1 in the third when Jeffries seemed short on ideas of how to change the flow of the bout.

“I'm devastated,” Jeffries said. “Kenny boxed well, he was sharp and beat me fair and square. I thought before to come away with a medal I'd be happy, but I feel like I've let people down.”

If it was a mixed day for Great Britain, it was a woeful one for the United States, whose remaining boxer, Deontay Wilder, was beaten in his heavyweight semi-final, leaving them with a single bronze medal to complete their worst Games.