America denied only gold

Wijan Ponlid (right) trades with Kazakhstan's Bulat Jumadilov

Light-welterweight Mahamadkadyz Abdullaev won Uzbekistan's first Olympic boxing gold medal as an independent state and ensured that the United States return home without a title for the first time since 1948.

World champion Abdullaev beat the highly rated Ricardo Williams 27-20 in a gruelling final.

With the exception of the Moscow Olympics in 1980, which America boycotted, the United States have had a champion from every Games since 1948.

Despite the inspirational prescence of 1984 bronze medallist and current world champion Evander Holyfield, this year's team have been hugely disappointing.

Cuba's Diogenes Luna and Mohamed Allalou of Algeria won the bronze medals as losing semifinalists.

Early lead

The key to victory for Abdullaev taking an early 3-0 lead in the first round and he stayed on top from there, extending it to 10-5 after the second and 15-11 at the end of the third as Williams fought back.

The American closed the gap to three points in the fourth but the Uzbek then picked up the scoring again.

"I tried to box the first two rounds, then I started coming in to him the next two," said Williams. "But I was too tired to turn it around. He was just the better man today."

Flyweight

Flyweight Wijan Ponlid became Thailand's second gold medallist ever, following in the footsteps of Somluck Kamsing.

Featherweight Kamsing was Thailand's first ever Olympic gold medallist in the ring in Atlanta in 1996 and Ponlid ensured himself a hero's welcome when he beat Kazakhstan's world champion Bulat Jumadilov 19-12.

Ponlid held up a framed photograph of his country's king after being declared winner and, draped in the national flag, saluted his screaming fans.

Jerome Thomas of France and Vladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine won bronze medals as losing semifinalists.

Endless problems

Policeman Ponlid led after every round, despite Jumadilov taking the second 6-5 to pull back to 9-7 behind, and caused endless problems for the Kazakh with his probing right lead and quick left.

In a messy fight, both men fell to the canvas twice in the third round as they pushed and clinched, but Ponlid led 15-11 at the bell and then made sure of gold by dominating the fourth.

Featherweight

Kazakhstan's Bekzat Sattarkhanov beat American world champion Ricardo Juarez 22-14 to win the Olympic featherweight boxing gold medal.

But there was controversy regarding the fight, with US team officials complaining about the result of the contest and Russian referee Stanislav Kirsanov being suspended for four years as a result.

Suspended

Shilpa Bakre, the U.S. team spokeswoman, said the result of the final had been upheld but the referee had been suspended by the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA).

The U.S. alleged that the referee had failed to penalise the Kazakh for holding despite being repeatedly warned during the contest and asked for the result to be reversed.

Juarez also claimed that Sattarkhanov had been talking to the referee in Russian during the final.

But in boxing terms, Sattarkhanov gave Juarez endless problems with his long reach, leading the first round 5-2 and then hammaering home his advantage in the second to lead 15-4.

At that point, there was a danger of the tireless American being outclassed by the Kazakh.

Rewarded

But Juarez, whose middle name is Rocky after boxing great Rocky Marciano, fought back and was rewarded for his efforts by pulling to within five points of the Kazakh before Sattarkhanov again rallied and closed the round at 20-13.

That was a comfortable enough lead for the Kazakh to defend easily in the fourth, with just three more punches scoring.

Morocco's Tahar Tamsamani and Russian Kamil Dzamalutdinov won the bronze medals as losing semifinalists.

Light-middleweight

Light-middleweight Yermakhan Ibraimov won Kazakhstan's second boxing gold medal of the Olympics when he beat Romanian world champion Marin Simion 25-23.

Thailand's Pornchai Thongburan and Jermain Taylor of the United States took bronze medals as losing semifinalists.

Simion, whose welterweight brother Dorel grabbed a bronze medal on earlier in the games, was a massive favourite to win the contest but he was taken by surprise by his plucky opponent who raced to a 7-3 lead after the first round.

The Romanian, a welterweight bronze medallist in 1996, fought back in the second and took the lead 19-18 in the third.

Simion's coach had been warned in the third round and he was ordered away from the ringside in the fourth as he screamed constant advice to his man.

It was of no avail to Simion, who saw his lead slip away after 20 seconds of the final round and, despite pulling back briefly, never again got the better of his rugged opponent.

Light-heavyweight

Russian Alexander Lebziak bloodied his Czech opponent and won the light-heavyweight category.

Lebziak did all the work against Rudolf Kraj, who never looked like becoming his country's first boxing champion in 40 years,losing 20-6.

Ukrainian Andriy Fedtchouk and Uzbekistan's Sergei Mikhailov won bronze medals as losing semifinalists.

Pounded

Lebziak pounded Kraj on the ropes, leaving the Czech bleeding heavily from the nose in the first round.

The points told the story, with the shaven-headed Czech taking just two from the first round, one each from the second and third, and then two in the fourth.

It was Russia's second boxing gold of the Games.