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Khan vowing to be Britain's main man

Amir Khan's sights are firmly fixed on Zab Judah © Getty Images

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Amir Khan is convinced he can become Britain's new leading light in boxing, insisting he is the fighter fans should follow.

While the likes of Khan and Carl Froch continue to fly the flag for Britain, former two-weight world champion Ricky Hatton's decision to officially retire and David Haye's uninspiring showing during his heavyweight unification defeat at the hands of Wladimir Klitschko a fortnight ago have left fans feeling flat.

However, WBA light-welterweight champion Khan is vowing to re-capture the hearts of the nation's boxing fraternity, claiming: "I'm the guy on the block and who's fighting big names".

He told the Observer: "David is a great champion and he will be remembered as a great champion, and so will Ricky Hatton, who's retired. So it is a good time for me to shine and prove how good Amir Khan is.

"The British public want to see and follow someone now, and I'm the guy who's on the block and who's fighting big names, fighting for different world titles. I'm someone for them to follow. Britain's been great, we've had a great following. But I think we can get even bigger because the British public can have one boxer who they can follow."

Khan faces IBF title-holder Zab Judah in Las Vegas next Saturday, with the Bolton-born fighter eager to grab the headlines with a stand-out performance.

"It's just going to motivate me to go in the gym and train harder," he said. "When it comes to the fight it's just going to make me put a better show on because I know there's a lot of people out there who are rooting for me and supporting me.

"You can't beat that support - especially from Britain. I love the British public and the British fans, they are true boxing fans. If you get them on your side, you can go right to the end and achieve anything in life. There are some big fights out there - against [say] Floyd Mayweather Jr, and if I have the support that Ricky Hatton did [when he lost to the American in 2007] I'm sure I can go in there and beat him."

Despite Khan dreaming of fighting the unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather Jr, the 24-year-old is refusing to take Judah, who has a reputation for employing dirty tactics, lightly.

"It could be a rough fight," he said. "I might have to dig deep and push him back at times. It depends what type of game plan he brings to the fight. If he tries to run and be sneaky, it will make the fight rough and messy. I'm looking forward to the fight because there are two world titles on the line. I want to be one of the youngest to unify the world titles."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.