AT first glance, Gateshead’s Baltic Art Gallery might seem a strange choice of venue for a press conference publicising Amir Khan’s forthcoming WBA world light-welterweight fight with Ukrainian Dmitriy Salita.

Listen to Khan speak, though, and the logic becomes apparent. Having claimed his first world title when he beat Andreas Kotelnik in July, Khan is determined to leave his next opponent on the canvas when he fights at the Metro Radio Arena on December 5.

“I’m not saying I’m going to go in there and win the fight easily because any fight can be tough, guys come and they want to win,” said Khan, who boasts a record of 21 wins from 22 fights since turning professional in 2005.

“But this is my first defence and I want to keep hold of my title. It’s tough enough to win a world title, it’s even harder to keep hold of it. I’m not going to come and let a guy take the title away from me after I’ve worked so hard for it all my life.

“I know my boxing skills, and my speed and power will be too much for him. He’s got a good record but he’s never fought an Amir Khan.”

Khan’s bravado is par for the course in the boxing world, yet probe a little deeper and it becomes apparent that the former Olympic silver medallist has recently become aware of weaknesses he did not believe existed at the start of his professional days.

Last September’s firstround knockout at the hands of Breidis Prescott proved a seminal moment in the Bolton-born fighter’s career.

While many commentators viewed the defeat as proof of Khan’s inherent fragility despite a stellar amateur career, the man himself interpreted it as a wake-up call that would enable him to elevate himself to the top of the light-welterweight rankings.

Whereas amateur boxing had come easily, the professional game demanded a greater level of strength, stamina and composure.

Khan pledged to redouble his efforts in the gym, and subsequent victories over Kotelnik, Oisin Fagan and Marco Antonio Barerra have silenced the critics who were questioning his durability and skill.

“The defeat did me the world of good,” he admitted.

“If you’d have said to me after the defeat that within three fights I’d be a world champion, I wouldn’t have thought that would happen. But now I’m totally focused.

“I’ve changed my focus and my trainer, and have become a professional fighter. I’m taking the sport more professionally.

You need to do that because boxing is a sport where one punch can change a fight, as you saw in my defeat.

That’s the point where I changed from a boy to a man.”

It was also the point where Khan accepted he would have leave his hometown of Bolton in order to distance himself from the distractions that had become impossible to avoid.

Having never previously lived outside Lancashire, he uprooted to Los Angeles in order to link up with legendary trainer Freddy Roach.

He will return to the United States today in order to step up his preparations for the Salita fight, and those preparations will involve a series of spars with IBO light-welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, who is widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

“I love it out there,” said Khan. “The weather is nice and I can just mind my own business and chill out. There are no distractions and I am totally focused out there.

“I’m in the best gym in the world. If it was anywhere in England, it would be very hard for me to go to a gym and be focused with all my friends there, still being young, having nice cars and being a wealthy young boxer. That affects you. But when you’re in LA, you’re just a normal guy.”

■ The undercard for Khan’s title fight will be announced next week, and tickets are available now from the Metro Radio Arena box office priced between £30-300.