British middleweight James DeGale secured at least a bronze medal by beating Kazakhstan's Bakhtiyar Artayev.

The 22-year-old Londoner let fly with a sharp left to land the only scoring punch of a cautious opening round.

Working off the back foot, DeGale nicked another point with a lunging right before trading blows and coming out on top 4-1 at the end of round two.

DeGale edged the next round to take a four-point lead into the last and boxed with superb control to seal an 8-3 win.

It was a stunning performance from the Briton, who never looked in trouble against an opponent who won welterweight gold four years ago and was named the outstanding boxer in Athens.

Artayev had also beaten the world number one Matvey Korobov in his opening fight in Beijing.

DeGale told BBC Sport: "It was a fantastic win. You have to hit and move in amateur boxing and you will win - and I am good at it. I kept my focus and kept a nice high guard.

"I was dreaming about this at home on my couch and now the dream is coming true."

DeGale will now go on to fight Ireland's Darren Sutherland in Friday's first semi-final.

Sutherland produced an outstanding display to dispatch world silver medallist Alfonso Blanco Parra in their quarter-final.

DeGale and Sutherland have met five times before, with the Irishman winning four of the fights and losing only one.

But DeGale insisted: "I know I've got a losing record but it'll be different this time.

"I'm going to hit and move, not stay static, and combat him right with the tactics. Hopefully now I can go on and win the gold."

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Source & Video: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/boxing/7572377.stm
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DeGale looks great, though he has a tough fight next coming up against another Briton in the semi-finals of the Middleweight competition, the Irishman Darren Sutherland.

He snogged Edwards in the interview and sounded like a right Sowf Landan ghetto prick. I only want Price to win. I think DeGale is the most talented one left on team from the 3.

I reckon Degale is very good and can potentially be the new Joe Calzaghe of briton. (due to the fact he slaps and hits body).

I think Price will win purely becuase after 1 punch, his opponent is cacking himself.

Degale will not be as good as Calslappy, which says it all really. I don't think any of the three left will succeed in pro's Billy Joe and gavin are more suited to that game with the young pikey having the most time on his hands to blossom. Degale sounds like an ******* hoody chav who knifes people incase he might egt beat up. His snog on old man made me sick!!!! I don't want him to win. The toher two are down to earth and I want the Sunderland bum to get a silver and arrr Pricey to get a gold! YNWA

Degale will not be as good as Calslappy, which says it all really. I don't think any of the three left will succeed in pro's Billy Joe and gavin are more suited to that game with the young pikey having the most time on his hands to blossom. Degale sounds like an ******* hoody chav who knifes people incase he might egt beat up. His snog on old man made me sick!!!! I don't want him to win. The toher two are down to earth and I want the Sunderland bum to get a silver and arrr Pricey to get a gold! YNWA

I hope you got banned for that post you racist dick !
Why come out with **** like that !?

Degale was awesome today, he will definitely get gold if he performs like that again, he's just so ****ing inconsistant he could turn up and be absolutely useless in the final, we'll just have to wait and see

Won gold! close fight, I got to see Emilio Correa training at my gym here in Ecuador about 1 month ago and he looked really good, and I really thought would be hard to beat.

Great achievement for the English boxer. But I knew he was in with a real chance after he beat Kazakhstan's Bakhtiyar Artayev (was welterweight last olympics) who beat the world champ Matvey Korobov in the early rounds! well deserved gold.

woooooooooooo GB!!!! i love it when straight after winning the gold he was like 'give me more money and i'll stay amateur' LOL

The guy he was fighting looked like he wanted to literally bulldoze him over , it was a ****ing mad fight

oh and the wee bite he had aswell hmmmm tasty nibbles :rofl:

fair play degale deserved it

bad boy british *****.. who may turn out good if he gets the right people behind him. but i reckon money will consume him and he wil get knocked the **** out. hes too small for super middle.

bad boy british *****.. who may turn out good if he gets the right people behind him. but i reckon money will consume him and he wil get knocked the **** out. hes too small for super middle.

6ft1 is to small for a SMW? WTF you on son?

I just watched the NBC replay of the DeGale fight - the commentator Bob Papa sounded like he was jealous of Britain's DeGale's winning a gold, since the US boxing team was so pathetic.

He should have been a good sport and given DeGale credit for defeating four very tough opponents on route to the gold.

The only fight I saw of Degale's was the gold medal one.
My reaction to the fight and his victory has nothing to do with the fact that the USA sucked in the olympics.I simply agree with the crowd who was there watching it live and booed him loudly after the fight.
Yes,he won...but he benefited from the ref and the idotic scoring that is now olympic boxing.There were numerous punches thrown and landed by the Cuban which was not scored.
Degale also was given two points when he claimed he was bit...the ref didn't see it,the cameras and replays didn't see it,yet he was given points.
Also in the interview after the fight,he came off as somewhat of a punk and a *****.

I had no rooting interest in the fight...but if I had been there,I would have been booing just like the people there.

I hope you got banned for that post you racist dick !
Why come out with **** like that !?

**** off you gyppo cunt, your not a different race, your just a ****in scrounger who doesn't wanna pay taxes, get over yourself and stop reporting anything that moves you prize tit.

He is British? The guy looked class today, he's fast, accurate and will proberbly turn out to be a SMW or LHW. He impressed me today, he can be a bit slappy sometimes but overall he should be a great pro.

The only fight I saw of Degale's was the gold medal one.
My reaction to the fight and his victory has nothing to do with the fact that the USA sucked in the olympics.I simply agree with the crowd who was there watching it live and booed him loudly after the fight.
Yes,he won...but he benefited from the ref and the idotic scoring that is now olympic boxing.There were numerous punches thrown and landed by the Cuban which was not scored.
Degale also was given two points when he claimed he was bit...the ref didn't see it,the cameras and replays didn't see it,yet he was given points.
Also in the interview after the fight,he came off as somewhat of a punk and a *****.

I had no rooting interest in the fight...but if I had been there,I would have been booing just like the people there.

Lmao, ok what ever you say.


GB BOXING GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Degale also was given two points when he claimed he was bit...the ref didn't see it,the cameras and replays didn't see it,yet he was given points.
Also in the interview after the fight,he came off as somewhat of a punk and a *****.



He's got a big bite mark on his chest.

The only fight I saw of Degale's was the gold medal one.
My reaction to the fight and his victory has nothing to do with the fact that the USA sucked in the olympics.I simply agree with the crowd who was there watching it live and booed him loudly after the fight.
Yes,he won...but he benefited from the ref and the idotic scoring that is now olympic boxing.There were numerous punches thrown and landed by the Cuban which was not scored.
Degale also was given two points when he claimed he was bit...the ref didn't see it,the cameras and replays didn't see it,yet he was given points.
Also in the interview after the fight,he came off as somewhat of a punk and a *****.
Bob Papa did a ****ty job of calling the fight, and misled the US viewers. The crowd wasn't booing "loudly" at DeGale, maybe a couple of Cubans were. Bob Papa just kept saying that because he was uncomfortable with the British fighter winning gold, since the Americans had done poorly. The scoring was fair, although they missed a few punches from each fighter.

Degale fought well today and in his other three Olympic fights, and so deserves full credit!

I hate poor sportsmanship.

The cuban was pathetic and should of been DQ. James wanted it to be a boxing match but was being forced into a scrap. I thought the scoring was nice, if they were so biased then why did the cuban get awarded 2 points when he was the one holding 90% of the time?

the ref should be sacked.. actually no, I want him to ref my fight, easy win.

bad boy british *****.. who may turn out good if he gets the right people behind him. but i reckon money will consume him and he wil get knocked the **** out. hes too small for super middle.

Could fight at middle, pro middle is 72.6 only a couple of kilos under amateur middleweight. super mid is 76.2

gb gold medal! I see this guy training at the gym i go to and hes a cool guy didnt know hell be in the olympics.

I think he has a good chance in the pros, though if he fights at SMW then he will just be known as the Joe Calzaghe wannabe.

My money's on Frank Warren signing him up, getting 'Gale force' a few wins and maybe the WBO belt and then trying to call Calzaghe out of retirement.

that would be a great shame. i hope he sees sense and goes to an american promoter (or stays amatuer, which according to the sun he is considering)

4 years is a long time, he ought to strike while the iron is hot. Imagine resisting million dollar offers for 4 years in order to fight at London 2012 and then getting an injury or drawing the favourite 1st round and losing.

He has nothing else to prove at Amateur level he's the gold medalist, and it's not like pro boxing where you can duck the dangerous opponents, he fought and beat everyone put in front of him in a short space of time.

He has to turn pro and take this opportunity, sign with Golden Boy or something but please don't sign with Frank Warren.

The only fight I saw of Degale's was the gold medal one.
My reaction to the fight and his victory has nothing to do with the fact that the USA sucked in the olympics.I simply agree with the crowd who was there watching it live and booed him loudly after the fight.
Yes,he won...but he benefited from the ref and the idotic scoring that is now olympic boxing.There were numerous punches thrown and landed by the Cuban which was not scored.
Degale also was given two points when he claimed he was bit...the ref didn't see it,the cameras and replays didn't see it,yet he was given points.
Also in the interview after the fight,he came off as somewhat of a punk and a *****.

I had no rooting interest in the fight...but if I had been there,I would have been booing just like the people there.

the british boxer held on to win because he kept on holding, lol!!

the british boxer held on to win because he kept on holding, lol!!

How did the Philippines do in the Olympics?