The man standing in Amir Khan's way to a world title is a grandfather who did not start boxing until he was nearly 28. Nate Campbell has had a tough life and is not going to roll over and hand the Bolton golden boy the title he worked so hard to win. If Khan dares to face him, Campbell is promising him a big surprise.

“Khan's a big fraud, all these guys are frauds,” Campbell, 36, said. “He hasn't fought anybody. It's all a mirage. We're walking through the desert of boxing, they head for a mirage; they run past and miss all the good fighters like me.

“He has to show the world he is not a fraud. I'm the man. I have three of the four major titles and nobody wants to fight me. I can't get a fight.”

By beating Martin Kristjansen in Bolton nine days ago, Khan, 21, became the No1 contender for the WBO title, one of three belts (along with those from the WBA and IBF) that Campbell won from Juan Diaz last month. Campbell, however, will be a tougher opponent than anyone the Olympic silver medal-winner has faced as a professional.

“Everybody keeps saying about me coming to England,” Campbell said. “I have no problem with coming to England. But it's worth a lot of money and they will have to pay for it. If they make my people happy, then we're on the very first plane.

“Who has Khan fought? Willie Limond couldn't even punch and he almost knocked him out. So what's going to happen when he fights a guy who can box, throws in volume, can slug, has great defence, a great inside game and a great outside game? He fights guys like Martin Kristjansen, who couldn't score a knockout with a hammer. Look at their knockout ratios, then look at mine.

“I can do anything in the ring. I haven't been hurt or down in my entire career. Worried about Amir Khan? I'm only worried about how much they're going to pay me. I hope Khan's stupid enough not to be afraid.”

While Khan's endorsement deals and professional contracts made him a millionaire not long after boxing at the Athens Olympics, Campbell, who grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, and now lives in Tampa, has has a hard life.

His father died on his tenth birthday and he was in and out of care as a child while his mother was in prison. He dropped out of high school and became a father as a teenager. Among the many jobs he had were as a box cutter and selling meat and vacuum cleaners door to door.

“I didn't start boxing until 27,” Campbell said. “I had a life. Boxing was not my life at that point. Growing up as a teenager I was a good football and basketball player. There were no gyms where I grew up, so there was no place to hone the skills that I had.

“I had a job in a Winn-Dixie warehouse, I worked in lumber yards, I worked in a steel mill, I'm a carpenter by trade, I did a little mechanic work. I didn't step into a gym until I was 24-years-old.” Campbell says he has been watching Khan's progress since Athens and, while he says that he has been impressed, he says Khan is not ready to face him.

“Amir has plenty of talent but he's not ready for me,” Campbell said. “How bad is it to see another man raped in prison? I've heard it's a very horrible thing. You guys are going to be watching another man get raped in the ring. It's real serious. He's not seen a man like me. If they made the fight tonight, I'd take it.”

Explore More Sport

• Athletics

• Boxing

• Cycling

• Sailing

• US Sport