Bolton fighter Amir Khan (1/6 to win) is determined to knock Dmitriy Salita (7/2) out in Newcastle on Saturday night to announce his arrival on the world stage.

The WBA light-welterweight champion defends his title for the first time since beating Ukrainian Andreas Kotelnik in the summer.

Salita, Ukraine-born and raised in New York City, provides the challenge this weekend as he puts his 31-fight unbeaten record on the line.

But Khan, 22, claims his 27-year-old opponent is a worried man and he wants to take advantage in order to raise his profile in America.

Khan said: “Now I’ve hit world-class level, I want to beat these people.

“Not just beat them, I want to knock them out and I want to put a stamp there to say, ‘look guys, Amir Khan is here and you better be careful what you say because I’m the world champion and I’m going to back it up by fighting and making a statement’.

“I think, when I beat this guy – an American opponent – it’s going to spring me up in America. More people will get to know me in America and we’ll take it from there.”

Now check out the rest of Totesport.com’s boxing betting.