Amir Khan is a hard-working, twenty-first-century hero: a standard bearer for his Pakistani heritage, his Lancashire upbringing and the future of British boxing. At just seventeen, he won silver at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and when he turned professional in 2005, he won his first fight in 109 seconds. Tickets to his fights sell out in hours and he is watched by millions on prime-time television. But his feet are still firmly on the ground - he lives at home with his parents in Bolton, fasts in the holy month of Ramadan and can sometimes be spotted helping out at his uncle and auntie's curry house. Here, he tells his story: of a boy from Bolton who just happens to be a world-class boxer.

'Khan is extraordinary ... To many, including Khan himself, the figure of an Olympic champion turned political icon suggests Muhammad Ali' Observer

Amir Khan first got into boxing at the age of eight, when his father took him to Halliwell Boxing Club to work off some excess energy. By the time he was eleven, Khan was boxing competitively. His amateur-career highlights include winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics, gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships and gold at the 2003 European Schoolboys Championships. He turned professional in 2005.