Mario Cesar Kindelan Mesa of Cuba nailed down British teenager Amir Khan 30-22 here on Sunday to win a third Olympic boxing gold of the day for Cuba in the hype final of the lightweight (60kg) category.

It has been the fifth gold in total for Cuban in the Olympic boxing tournament in Athens, which topped the four gold medals they won from the last two Games.

Kindelan, the defending gold medalist and a triple world champion, has been widely regarded as the best poind-for-pound amateur in the world.

In what is very much a case of the pupil against the master, the sensation of the Athens 2004 boxing tournament, Khan, opened the bout with a 4-3 narrow lead in the first round.

But the mighty Cuban Kindelan was simply too superior on strength and experience to his young rival, outscoring 11-5 and 8- 5 respectively in the second and third round and wrapping up 30-22 after the four-round face-off.

Khan, who could have become the youngest Olympic champion since American Floyd Patterson in 1952, is just 17, while Kindelan is 33. He needed all of his poise, composure, hand speed and footwork to ward off blows from the Cuban.

"I am just happy to have got to the final at 17 and boxed against the reigning Olympic and world champion," said Khan, the world junior champion. "I've learned a lot here."

After the contest, Kindelan talked to Khan and said that "you should stay amateur and would be the next Olympic and world champion".

Khan took it seriously and told the press conference that "I am only 17 and I want to stay amateur until I am 22, so I can gain more experience and grow strong."

His coach Terry Edwards said: "Today he has been in the ring against a boxing legend.

"The one thing we cannot fastrack is maturity. He needs to gain experience."

Serik Yeleuov of Kazakstan, losing 40-26 to Khan in Friday's semis, and Murat Khrachev of Russia, beaten 20-10 by KIindelan, finished as the bronze medalists of the lightweight class.