Amir Khan expects his clash with Marco Antonio Barrera to go the distance but insists he will take victory on points. The Bolton lightweight takes on Barrera at the MEN Arena in Manchester on Saturday, and the fight will serve as a WBO lightweight title eliminator.
The former Olympic silver medallist Khan appears to be taking a gamble in a bid to erase memories of his shocking first-round defeat by Breidis Prescott last September and propel himself up the rankings. "I'm going to end his (Barrera's) career. I never predict a fight but it's going to go the 12 rounds and there'll only be one winner, and that's me," Khan said. Khan, 22, told talkSPORT Magazine: "I want to fight for a European or world title and I think this fight can take me on to bigger and better things. "Beating Barrera will put me in the mix for the world titles and also I can maybe wait one fight then fight for a European title and then go for a world title. First of all, I want to get this fight out of the way and then just leave it with [promoter] Frank Warren." The 54-second defeat to Prescott raised doubts over whether he could fulfil the potential which first came to light at the 2004 Olympics, and Khan knows he has a vocal band of critics. "You just have to prove them wrong," he added. "I know I've got the talent and the experience to beat this guy so it's all about just going there and doing it. I'm not going to say anything, I'm going to let my fists do all the talking." *PA Sport