It was not long after Amir Khan had been picked up off the canvas that the finger-pointing began. Breidis Prescott, a little-known Colombian, shattered Khan's illusions of grandeur in only 54 seconds at the MEN Arena, Manchester, on Saturday, handing the former Olympic silver medal-winner the type of knockout that will haunt him forever.

The big rush to be a world champion is over. Khan had been next in line for the winner of next weekend's WBA, WBO and IBF lightweight title bout between Nate Campbell and Joan Guzmán, but he looks a mile away from that standard. The inquest has begun and no one's job looks safe.

“I honestly think in 12 months' time I will be a world champion,” Khan said yesterday. “It's all about in those 12 months picking the right fights, getting the right experience, the right coaching and the right management, everything.”

First under threat will be Jorge Rubio, Khan's new Cuban trainer. While Khan defended Rubio, it was made clear by Frank Warren, the promoter, that the bout with Prescott had come on Rubio's recommendation. The original opponent had been Derrick Gainer, a former world champion but two divisions down at featherweight. Gainer, 36 and inactive for more than a year, is also a light puncher. But when the American pulled out, in came Prescott, 25, unbeaten, hard-hitting and hungry for an opportunity.

“Whoever Amir fights the buck stops with me,” Warren said. “When he's winning, I'm a great matchmaker and a great promoter and when he loses I have to take the responsibility. Amir was caught cold. Sometimes fighters can take a punch later on in a fight that they can't take in the first round.”

Having suffered three knockdowns in his first 18 bouts, including one in his previous win over Michael Gomez, the Irish-born Mancunian, Khan had already lost his air of invincibility. The only person who did not seem to realise that was the man himself.

Despite Prescott's impressive knockout record - he has now won 18 of his 20 bouts inside the distance - and obvious size advantage, Khan eagerly charged in from the first bell looking to trade punches and was wide open. In such circumstances, it is often a case of who lands the first blow. It was Prescott. As Khan missed with a lunging left, Prescott's looping left hook caught him on the temple, forcing his legs to do an involuntary dance. From that moment, there was no way back.

The Colombian quickly took advantage, landing a right cross and a left hook that flipped Khan over on to his back. Khan made it to his feet at the count of three, but tottered back into the ropes, as his eyes tried to focus.

The bout should have been stopped at that moment, but Terry O'Connor, a referee who has had his share of criticism in recent times, waved Prescott back in, even though Khan's legs seemed to have gone. Two more left hooks sent Khan crashing down on his back in his corner; fortunately, one right hook that Prescott pulled up from his bootstraps narrowly missed. Khan never looked likely to beat the count.

Never shy of kicking a man when he is down, some of the “great” British public could not resist putting the boot in. Parts of the crowd booed Khan as he left the ring and Radio 5 Live held an instant phone-in, which yielded thousands of calls. The overwhelming nature of the calls was described by one insider as “gloating”.

From hero to zero, the parallels with another Olympian were all too obvious. Audley Harrison boxed on the undercard, recording a ten-round points win over George Arias, of Brazil, but was booed from start to finish. The win was uninspiring against a negative opponent interested only in surviving, but Harrison, who won a gold medal for Great Britain at the 2000 Olympics, has become a figure of derision to some. In this case, the mob has spoken.

Whether the same fate awaits Khan is still to be seen. At 21, if patient, he has plenty of time to work on his flaws, although his ability to take a punch will always be questioned.

“I've got no excuses, I made mistakes, I'll come back stronger,” Khan said. “When I lost as an amateur, it made me a better fighter. It's given me a kick up the a***, made me realise if I'm going to get where I want to get, I'll have to put more work into it, be more focused. I was always in a rush to become a world champion. Maybe this was meant to happen.”

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