Fast combinations, solid defence and a well-honed counterpunching technique have been hallmarks of Andreas Kotelnik’s unsung career.

A silver medallist at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he was beaten by Cuban great Mario Kindelan, the 31-year-old Hamburg-based Ukrainian’s only defeats in 34 professional fights came on points. They were against Britain’s former World Boxing Council light-welterweight titleholder Junior Witter — two judges gave Witter the nod by a single point — and Frenchman Souleymane M’baye in a bout most observers thought Kotelnik won.

“Amir Khan has been doing a lot of talking but I’m not too worried about some boy who got knocked out in one round less than a year ago,” Kotelnik said of his World Boxing Association (WBA) light-welterweight title encounter with the 22-year-old Bolton boxer on Saturday at the MEN Arena in Manchester. His confidence and dismissive attitude are easy to understand, for Kotelnik is an accomplished practitioner who has been around the block, and Khan is only 10 months removed from that brutal defeat in 54 seconds by Colombia’s Breidis Prescott.

Kotelnik is not a devastating puncher in the Prescott mould. Since his first 12-rounder six years ago, he has stopped just five of 20 opponents. It was the accuracy and accumulation of his punches that accounted for Gavin Rees, from whom he won the WBA belt in March 2008. While workrate and commitment kept Rees in the fight, the more eye-catching and damaging work was performed by Kotelnik. He punished Rees with heavy right hands to the head, and when the Welshman was saved in the 12th round by the referee, it was no surprise.

“You’ve got to get the big shots going, big, big shots,” said Rees’s trainer, Enzo Calzaghe. “I’ve hit him with the big shots,” Rees replied and laughed, an expression of gallows humour showing the extent of his ordeal.

Khan is a cut above Rees and an improved fighter since he submitted himself to the schooling of Freddie Roach in California after his painful defeat by Prescott. “I’m the type of guy who sees my coach as a second father but, with Freddie, it’s easy to think like this because he cares about you, he wants you to learn and he works hard so that you do,” Khan said. “This has been the best move of my career and, if it took a knockout loss to convince me to come here, I’m happy to live with that.”

The first test of their alliance came on March 14 at the MEN Arena, when the 2004 Olympic silver medallist — like Kotelnik, he lost to Kindelan — won a technical decision after five rounds against Marco Antonio Barrera, a world champion in three weight divisions and the conqueror of Prince Naseem Hamed. But the great Mexican’s powers had eroded and a terrible cut above his left eye after an accidental clash of heads in the first round denied him any chance of being competitive. Kotelnik should ask more serious questions but Roach is adamant that his fighter will prevail.

“Speed kills, and in terms of movement Amir is faster and cleverer than this guy and I think 140lb is a better weight for him than the lightweight limit of 135lb, where he’s been campaigning until now,” Roach insisted. “Amir is more natural and much stronger at this weight and this will be the route from here on out. When Amir wins the title, Ricky Hatton will want to go after him and this would be a huge fight in the UK, so there is plenty of incentive for Amir to get the job done.”