DeGale, who had created a major upset when he ousted 2004 Olympic welterweight champion Bakhityar Artayev of Kazakhstan in the quarter-finals, entered the ring draped in the Union Jack.

 

The Briton, nicknamed "Chunky", had a fine start, counter-punching efficiently to lead 6-1 on the scoreboard at the end of the first round.

 

Correa, dreaming of emulating his father who won welterweight gold at the 1972 Games in Munich, fought bravely after that but failed to catch up his opponent.

 

The fight was scruffy at times with plenty of clinching, a warning for each fighter and boos for DeGale when he concentrated on holding on to his lead in the last two rounds.

 

When the final bell went DeGale, a 22-year-old from Hammersmith who was 40/1 coming into this tournament, sunk to his knees in joy at fulfilling an ambition he has held since he started boxing when he was 10.

 

De Gale said: "It was a messy fight but listen, I'm the Olympic champion and that's it.

 

"I'm in the history books."

 

With Tony Jeffries and David Price also winning bronze medals, it was Britain's best Olympic performance since Melbourne in 1956 when they won five medals, including two gold.

 

It was a successful conclusion to a difficult few weeks for the British boxing team which had started with gold medal favourite Frankie Gavin having to go home after failing to make his weight.

 

Then earlier this week, on the eve of the semi-finals, the Amateur Boxing Association suspended Billy Joe Saunders, who had been eliminated earlier in the tournament, for alleged lewd behaviour.

 

Head coach Terry Edwards believed it was an attempt to undermine him.

 

He now faces the prospect when he returns home of battling to hang on to his position.

 

But for now Edwards celebrated DeGale's victory and then sent a message to the Government agency that distributes National Lottery funding.

 

He said: "That was painful.

 

"I thought the referee had lost the plot, but you have to do what you have to do and James was going to win that whatever way it took.

 

"We've delivered for UK Sport, now UK Sport have got to deliver for us."

 

DeGale is now certain to be flooded with offers from top promoters to turn professional while Edwards will be desperate for him to stay amateur and be the figurehead for London 2012.

 

DeGale said: "If this man [Edwards] is still here, then I'll be there."

 

DeGale took Britain's total of medals to 47, 19 of them, gold, four more than they have ever won in an Olympics outside of Britain.

 

A late rush of golds on the penultimate day enabled Russia to move above Britain into fourth place in the medals but Team GB were still comfortably in fourth position, three gold medals ahead of Germany.