Britain’s Anthony Joshua won the men’s Olympic super heavyweight (+91kgs) gold on count-back against defending champion Roberto Cammarelle, of Italy, after their bout finished 18-all yesterday.

Italy appealed the decision in vain after Joshua overturned a three-point deficit heading into the final round to clinch the narrowest of victories.

Joshua, 22, only took up boxing four years ago, but the 2011 world silver medallist from Baku, Azerbaijan, added Olympic gold to his collection with victory in the final bout of the London Games.

Watford-born Joshua earned Britain’s third boxing gold and their fifth medal in London following on from flyweight Nicola Adams and bantamweight Luke Campbell victories in their gold-medal bouts.

As welterweight Freddie Evans took silver and Anthony Ogogo finished with a bronze in the middleweight, Britain have had their best return in the Olympic ring since the 1908 London Games when they won 14 of the 15 boxing medals.

Both fighters made a conservative start with barely a punch in the opening minute, until Cammarelle caught the Londoner in a corner and the pair traded blows, but the Italian came out on top to take the first round 6-5.

Things did not improve in the second for Joshua as the de-fending champion took it 7-5 to take a 13-10 lead into the third to frustrate the home hope.

The pair traded blows in the last round of the match, but a flurry of punches from Joshua made their mark as the Italian appeared to tire in the final round as he paid the price for holding on too many times.

Having lost in the semi-finals last week, Azerbaijan’s Magomedrasul Medzhidov and Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dychko won bronze medals.