Khan out to prove doubters wrong

Updated 16.46 Wed Jan 30 2008
Keywords: Gairy St Clair, Commonwealth lightweight title, boxing, Amir Khan

Amir Khan has promised his fans they will see "a new fighter" when he defends his Commonwealth lightweight title against Gairy St Clair in London at the weekend.

Australian challenger St Clair, who held a world super-featherweight title just 15 months ago, has lost five times and drawn twice in a 46-fight career.

"I want to show people how far I've come along. I've got the fitness in the tank. The training I have done for the fight has been perfect" - Amir Khan

But has never been floored or stopped and is widely regarded as the toughest opponent to be matched with the 21-year-old so far.

It is a record formidable enough to convince Khan, who has won 12 of his 15 fights inside the distance, to take a cautious tone, but the Brit is relishing the chance to show off a new side to his game.

He said: "This guy is tough. I'm going to have to dig deep for it. I've made my mistakes and I've learnt from them. I'm going to be a totally different fighter to normal.

Khan is hoping to use his opponent's durability to showcase his skill at fighting longer bouts against quality rivals.

"I want to show people how far I've come along. I've been sparring a lot of hard pad work, I've got the fitness in the tank. The training I have done for the fight has been perfect."

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