AMIR Khan hopes to hijack Ricky Hatton's comeback by taking on Juan Manuel Marquez in 2010.
And after his non-contest with Dmitriy Salita, a fighter of Marquez' stature is exactly what the Bolton boxer needs if he is to truly "shock the world".
Hatton is already in discussions about a super clash with the Mexican, but Khan has made no secret of his desire to take on the 36-year-old.
It is precisely the type of bout he will require to convince the US public he is more than a product of slick marketing.
He may have gone some way to doing that with his sensational 76-second knockout of Salita on Saturday, but such was the nature of his devastating victory it is still impossible to know if the 22-year-old has completely ironed out the flaws that punctuated his early pro career.
But the signs are undoubtedly positive.
Under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, Khan has matured into a fighter capable of outrageous speed and blistering power.
In the peak of physical condition, the smart money says he will only get bigger and stronger as he continues to develop.
Outside the ring he looks the part too. Good looking, intelligent and respectful, he has all the tools to be a flag bearer for British boxing.
So what's the problem?
The problem is that exactly the same could have been said before his devastating defeat to Breidis Prescott last year.
Since then he has rebuilt his career admirably under the guidance of the sport's greatest sage.
But the fact remains that he is still to fight an opponent of note.
A cut earned him victory against a Marco Antonio Barrera who was well past his best, while Khan himself questioned Andreas Kotelnik's credentials as a world champion before relieving the Ukrainian of his WBA belt.
Salita was a mandatory challenger as the No.1 contender, but was nothing short of woeful.
Khan can do little more than knock down the opponents put in front of him - and he deserves considerable credit for the light work he made of someone who had no business being in the same ring as him.
But it will take so much more than that to back up Roach's lofty claims that he is a pound-for-pound No.1 in the making.
Given that such superlatives are coming from one of the most respected figures in the sport, does give them credence.
Argument
But the fact remains that the Kotelniks and Salitas of this world do little to endorse that argument.
If Khan wants to prove to America that he is the natural successor to Hatton, he will have to build up a record of victims that can back up that assertion.
And if his promoter Frank Warren is to sell his man across the Atlantic, he will know he needs an opponent that US audiences can get their teeth into.
Hatton remains the ideal scenario - but he represents an enormous gamble on Khan's part. Win and there will be inevitable claims that he could only beat a shot fighter. While defeat to the Hitman, who is at the end of his career, could also effectively end Khan's.
Roach remains convinced his man would be too fast for Hatton, and having already masterminded victory for Pacquiao, he may have a point.
But Khan has never been in the ring with someone of Hatton's class, so question marks will remain until he does.
Other potential opponents include the 35-year-old Jose Luis Castillo, who Hatton felled in 2006; Juan Diaz and Paulie Malignaggi - another Hatton victim.
Marquez ticks all the boxes when it comes to making a statement on the other side of the pond, which is why Hatton is so keen to take the fight on himself.
For all scepticism that surrounds Khan, a fervent Newcastle crowd proved there is genuine affection for him, and the hope that he is the real deal.
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
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