Amir Khan will aim to emulate sparring partner and stablemate Manny Pacquiao by bouncing back from defeat to become a world champion.
Khan was looking to propel himself towards a world title challenge last September only to be shattered when Breidis Prescott knocked him out in the first round of his 19th professional fight.
The Lancastrian has since teamed up with renowned American coach Freddie Roach - who also trains pound-for-pound champion Pacquiao - and returns to the MEN Arena when he takes on Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera on a Sky Box Office show on March 14.
A return to the ring yielded an easy stoppage win against Irishman Oisin Fagan in December but Khan faces a significant step up in class against Barrera as he bids to catapult himself towards a world title shot.
Preparations for such a daunting test have been aided by the presence of Filipino superstar Pacquiao during Khan's gruelling Californian training camps.
Pacquiao turned professional as a 16-year-old in 1995 but suffered a third-round knockout by Rustico Torrecampo a year later. He also lost in similar fashion to Medgoen Singsurat in 1999 but went on to become a multi-weight world champion, currently reigning as the world's finest fighter.
Khan admits he can take heart from his new friend's career arc.
He told PA Sport: ‘Definitely, that's what Manny said to me about my defeat against Prescott. He got knocked out before his 15th fight.’
Pacquiao has beaten Barrera twice - in 2003 and 2007 - and lightweight Khan is delighted to have him on board.
‘Manny is a great guy. I've done a lot of sparring with him,’ he said.
‘Going in (and sparring) with the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world has made me change my style a bit, made me more focused, more patient.
‘And this is the level I'm at now, fighting all these world-class fighters.
‘Manny's beaten Barrera twice before and I talked to him about the fight and he said 'yes, you should take the fight, it will be a good fight for you'.
‘He gave me some tips about being patient, not over-committing and not doing the stupid things I did in the Prescott fight.’
Khan spent six weeks at Roach's Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles and believes he is physically and mentally ready to dismantle 35-year-old legend Barrera.
‘I had a great training camp in LA with Freddie Roach, everything is beginning to fall into place and I'm 100% up for this fight,’ he said.
‘I've got a lot to prove to the critics. It's not going to be easy but the sparring I had in LA has really boosted my confidence.’
