Ward's gold punctuates tough U.S. boxing run

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- The dog in Andre Ward got him to the top of the podium.

That's the term used by the American light heavyweight to describe the combination of talent, training, smarts and unflinching determination he employed to beat every single opponent he faced in the last six years.

Ward unleashed the dog one last time as an amateur Sunday, capturing the mediocre U.S. team's only gold medal with a 20-13 victory over Magomed Aripgadjiev of Belarus. It was the last bout of an Olympic boxing tournament again dominated by Cubans and Russians -- and highlighted by a handful of entertaining fighters, including Ward, who overcame the sport's two superpowers.

Clearly, Ward's teammates could use a little more dog.

"It wasn't my best performance, but I had to dog it out," he said. "The dog in me, I got that from my father. I could be a whole lot of different places right now if it hadn't been for him."

Frank Ward died two years ago, just as his son was emerging as a can't-miss amateur prospect. Though Andre Ward and his wife, Tiffiney, are raising two sons, the 20-year-old ignored the lure of pro money to concentrate on his Olympic hopes.

To save money, his family moved in with Virgil Hunter, his godfather and coach. Ward was away from home for much of the last year, training and traveling -- and even when he was home in Oakland, Calif., his wife and children left town so Ward could focus.

"I haven't even seen home in two, three months, but this makes it all worthwhile, without a doubt," he said.

Ward even impressed the fans at Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall, where Americans were booed throughout the tournament. He was the crowd favorite in the final, riding the cheers to a third-round comeback after a tentative start sent him to an early deficit.

He rallied with his signature speed, landing most of his third-round punches before Aripgadjiev could see them. Ward ignored his swelling right eye and maintained the lead in the fourth, ducking and dancing away from his taller opponent.

"I felt good at the start, but in the third round, I felt like I was lagging behind," said Aripgadjiev, who won Belarus' second silver medal of the tournament. "He was just much quicker than me."

Quickness was thought to be the young American team's strength, though even its supporters knew that pure athleticism would be no match for the experience of Cuban and Russian fighters who spend years in the strictures of amateur boxing.

Ward is the Americans' first gold medalist since 1996, when David Reid won. Reid spoke to Ward by phone Saturday, urging him to seize the moment. Middleweight Andre Dirrell's bronze medal was the American team's only other medal from Athens -- the worst U.S. performance in 56 years.

But Ward certainly can't be faulted after beating three former world champions on the way to his gold. His quarterfinal domination of Evgeny Makarenko, Russia's two-time world champion, must rank among the most impressive victories in U.S. boxing history.

"If a lot of other guys on this team were mature like him and didn't lose discipline, they would have been here too," assistant U.S. coach Al Mitchell said. "He's a good role model, and we need role models in this sport."

Ward isn't certain when he'll begin his professional career. After years of fighting above his natural weight class because he wanted to avoid fighting one of his cousins, he's likely to be a middleweight in the pros.

"I've got to go home and see what's on the table," he said.

The Cuban team turned in another largely boring but successful tournament, winning five golds and eight total medals without one memorable bout -- until Sunday, when lightweight Mario Kindelan won his second straight gold with a scintillating 30-22 decision over 17-year-old British sensation Amir Khan.

"That was probably the best boxing we've seen in the amateur world, maybe in the pro world, pound for pound, in the last five years," Britain coach Terry Edwards said.

Khan would have needed perfection to beat Kindelan, a three-time world champion and the defending gold medalist. Kindelan, 33, retired after the bout, while Khan must re-enroll in college and take his driving test upon his return to England.

Russia won three golds, and Kazakhstan's Bakhtiyar Artayev was named the tournament's top boxer for his surprising run through the welterweight division. Artayev upset two-time gold medalist Oleg Saitov in the semifinals, then beat Cuba's Lorenzo Aragon in the championship match.