Felix Savon managed a smile after emulating his great Cuban idol and compatriot Tefilio Stevenson by winning a third heavyweight gold medal in Sydney on Saturday morning.

Savon dedicated the victory over Russian southpaw Sultanahmed Ibzagimov "to the people of Cuba" - underlining why he has constantly rejected any suggestion about boxing professionally in America.

And it is no wonder. Savon has said about the paid code: "It's a very dirty sport. The athlete is not protected at all and, of course, the main interest is earning money."

The man best known for being Fidel Castro's favourite sportsman also equalled the three-gold mark of Hungarian legend Laszlo Papp after beating Ibzagimov 21-14.

But a nasty gash under his left eye left him with an unwanted souvenir from his moment of history.

Savon's mood has been sombre in Sydney, hardly portraying a picture of a conquering hero who struck gold in Barcelona and Atlanta. The three-time champion even declined to appear in the post-fight news conference.

The six-time world champion was born into poverty in the sugar cane fields around Guantanamo, and spent 13 years as a rower before concentrating on boxing to become one of the greatest amateurs in history.

He has beaten many men who have gone on to make millions in the professional ranks. Savon outpointed Lennox Lewis' victims Andrew Golota and Ray Mercer, who won the same title in the 1988 Seoul Games.

And it took the 6ft 6in Cuban only 18 seconds to dispose of Samoan New Zealander David Tua, the next challenger for Lewis in Las Vegas on November 11.

Tua will earn in excess of 3million US dollars for tackling Lewis; Savon knocked him out for no charge.

The 2000 Olympic final produced Savon's 379th victory against 17 defeats, and Ibzagimov never threatened an 18th. Later, the Russian admitted he was too defensive.

Savon made another slow start, but once his right hand - believed to have been troubling him during the tournament - found its range, he moved into a 4-0 lead by the end of the first round.

Ibzagimov's already imposing task was made even more difficult when he fought on after the bell to end the first round, which brought him a two-point penalty before the start of the second.

The Russian simply had to step it up and matched Savon for points in round two, trying to force the pace with his left crosses.

Savon, though, made it 17-9 after the third and right hands to head and body helped him to his triumph.