The 23-year-old who used to fight out of Teesside Amateur Boxing Club but who now represents Billingham Boxing Academy, beat Assan Hansen of Germany on a split decision to advance to Saturday’s final. Theirs was one of the more explosive bouts on the third evening of the event, a key gatepost on the road to Paris, which concludes at the English Institute of Sport on Saturday.

Tyers is hoping to do enough this week to convince GB Boxing he is the light welterweight to take to the Olympics.

He will have to overcome a fellow British fighter in the final, Patris Mughalzai, who defeated Tulga Oyunbaatar in his semi-final.

Joe Tyers (blue) of GB fights Assan Hansen (red) of Germany at the World Boxing CUp at the EIS, Sheffield. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)

“Yeah it was definitely a big step tonight,” Tyers told The Yorkshire Post.

“Last year has been a hard year, it’s had its ups and downs, but this year is going to be a big year.

“Right now I’ve just got to be ready for the final and whatever that brings, I’m always ready and I take it as it comes.”

Tyers unleashed a flurry in the second that had his opponent reeling and used his height advantage to good effect as he was cheered at the EIS by a clutch of fans who had followed him down from the North East.

Scott Richards (blue) is beaten via split decision against Germany's Salah Ibrahim (red) at the World Boxing Cup GB Open at the EIS, Sheffield. (Picture: Bruce Rollinson)

“It was a very good bout, an entertaining bout for everyone watching, but I got the win and that’s the main thing,” said Tyers, who is based in Sheffield along with the rest of the British boxing squad.

Elise Glynn used her much-longer reach to defeat Germany’s Canan Tas and reach the women’s featherweight final.

The victory, allied with defeat for Olivia Holmes in the first semi-final against Maud van der Toorn of the Netherlands in the earlier semi-final, gives Solihull’s Glynn the advantage in the race to the Olympics, especially if she can beat her Dutch opponent in Saturday’s final, where Holmes failed. Van der Toorn was a very aggressive fighter though and Glynn has her work cut out, but her semi-final victory on Friday left her confident she had taken a significant step towards the Olympics.

“There’s no pressure on me in the final, I can just go in there and enjoy myself,” said Glynn.

“I’ve proven I’m the No 1 at my weight in Britain.”

Britain’s Kiaran MacDonald will fight in Saturday’s flyweight final after getting a walkover in his semi-final against Czech fighter Filip Horvath.

Joe Tyers and Elise Glynn face final test of Olympic standard at World Boxing Cup in Sheffield