Andre Ward, the only American to make the Olympic boxing finals, held pride for the United States boxing team in Athens on August 29, edging Magomed Aripgadjiev from Belarus 20-13 in the light heavyweight (81kg) category.

With Ward's victory in the finals, the American boxing team advoid a repeat of the worst performance in the 1936 Berlin Games when they returned home with a silver and a bronze.

Ward, one of the two Americans in Friday's last fours of all categories, stormed back from 9-7 deficit after the second round to win the gold.

His fellow American Andre Dirrell had lost 23-18 in the semis to Gennadiy Golovkin of Kazakstan on Friday and settled for a bronze of the middleweight class event.

Beaten 5-4 in the second round, Ward took fully control of the third two-minute to overpass Aripgadjiev 7-2.

The American started the fourth round with four successive left strikes to put the bout out of touch.

Both boxers won narrow decisions in the semi finals, with Ward defeating Utkirbek Haydarov of Uzbekistan 17-15, and Aripgadjiev getting past Ahmed Ismail of Egypt by 23 points to 20.

Ismail and Haydarov took home the bronze medals of the light heavyweight category.