By Padraic Halpin

LONDON (Reuters) - The pressure of being the first host nation boxer to fight at the 2012 Olympics was nothing compared to the trials Britain's Anthony Ogogo had to go through just to make it to the ring on Saturday.

The 23-year-old middleweight, whose hopes of making it to his first Olympics were nearly ruined by a serious shoulder injury last year, has had to spend much of the last six weeks by his mother Teresa's bedside after she suffered a brain hemorrhage.

While she was not well enough to watch her son defeat Junior Castillo Martinez of the Dominican Republic, Teresa was about to hear all about the 13 points to six victory.

"I can't wait to get on the phone and speak to her and speak to my sister who is with her," Ogogo, a silver medalist at this year's European Championships, told reporters.

"She was really really very seriously ill so she's in bed, in hospital recovering. She's doing really well, I'm really proud of her."

Admitting that the draw had not been very kind - he next faces top seed and world champion Ievgen Khytrov of Ukraine - Ogogo nevertheless feels he can beat anyone in London's Excel centre after benefiting from "amazing" opening day support.

He has someone else special to see first though, after his sister went into labor just hours before he took to the ring.

"I'm dying to get to my phone to see if she had a little boy or girl," a beaming Ogogo said.

"A great day for the family, I'm glad I did well and gave them a little lift."

(Reporting by Padraic Halpin)