James DeGale danced, boxed, shoved, punched and brawled his way to an Olympic gold medal in what was probably the ugliest bout he will ever take part in. He celebrated in style and, as seemed fitting for the contest, fell out of the ring.

DeGale was a 14-12 winner over Emilio Correa Jr to win the Olympic middleweight title, a title previously held by three other Londoners – Johnny Douglas, Harry Mallin and Chris Finnegan. Correa, whose father, Emilio Sr, won the welterweight gold medal at Munich in 1972, tried everything to win, including biting DeGale in the first round.

But it was a bout that will not make many highlight films. DeGale got a dream start and held a five-point lead after one round, a six-point lead after the second which DeGale gamely held on to as the Cuban got desperate.

Both were given public warnings – with a two-point deduction – and both fell to the floor as they wrestled their way through the latter stages.

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DeGale, who was having his fifth bout of the competition and his second in two days, afterwards promised to stay amateur until the London Olympics in 2012, providing a suitable funding package could be worked out and Terry Edwards, the performance director, who has come under fire from within the amateur sport in England, stays on too.

“I can’t live on “B” funding, I want to be able to buy a nice car,” DeGale said. “A million pounds (what Audley Harrison received when he turned professional after winning gold in 2000) is a lot to say no to, but if Terry stays and the funding can be worked out, I’d do it. London is my home city and I’d love to win there. Deep in my heart – 2012 is me.”

DeGale, 22, said he was not overly impressed with his own performance. “There were a few bolo punches, some cheeky lefts, but a lot of it was scrappy,” he said. He was also upset that the Chinese crowd, that heavily favoured the Cuban, booed him. “Such disrespect,” he said. “I wouldn’t do that to them.”