A YEAR that began with an uncertain future for Amir Khan is ending with the world at the feet of the boxer who started his career with the Bury Amateur Club.

The 19-year-old from Bolton grew in stature and popularity as the months have passed, and he is clearly a young man in a hurry as he attempts to become the youngest-ever British world champion.

The Olympic silver medallist decided to delay a decision to turn professional straight after Athens and entered the ABA Championships where he stepped up to light-welterweight.

He did not have it all his own way, however, as in his opening fight he was dumped on his backside by Craig Watson.

He still had the class to stroll home and reach the last eight, but then dramatically pulled out of the competition in February, after a row over a ticket allocation.

It was a decision Khan later regretted, particularly as it deprived him of another title he would have loved to have added to his CV, and left him kicking his heels, as a re-match with gold medallist Mario Kindelan proved difficult to arrange.

Eventually the showdown with the Cuban legend was agreed for the Reebok in April, where a sell-out crowd saw Khan produce a superlative display to comfortably outpoint the ageing Kindelan.

Khan's improvement from the Olympics was tangible and it could easily have been gold hanging from his neck had the Games fallen at a later date.

The Kindelan victory was overshadowed, however, by the televised announcement by promoter Frank Warren that Khan was turning professional and he would be his manager.

It was the best kept secret in boxing, and clearly the wisest one, as Khan had clearly outgrown the amateur scene, albeit in the space of just a few action-packed months.

Khan signed up at the popular Oliver Harrison gym in Salford and took to the task of life as a full-time boxer, quickly establishing himself as a popular figure with his more experienced fellow professionals.

His first match was arranged in his home town at Bolton Arena in July. Not surprisingly it was a sell-out with Khan, although on the undercard of the Matt Skelton and Danny Williams heavyweight clash, as a major attraction. It was just as well, because Williams sensationally pulled out on the eve of the show, leaving Khan in the spotlight.

He did not disappoint, even though it did not last long, as he stunned David Bailey in 109 seconds with a string of powerful punches, which left the Londoner not knowing what had hit him. In September it was off to Cardiff and his second fight on the undercard of Welshman Joe Calzaghe and a much tougher opponent in Baz Carey. The 34-year-old proved much more resilient than Bailey and his cautious approach, although providing Khan with few problems, saw him go the distance of four rounds.

Khan had tried his best to finish Carey off and although he was clearly a much superior fighter, as he won on points by a country mile, it highlighted that he was still a "baby" in the sport and there was still of lot of work to be done to improve his technique.

His next two fights underlined his growing maturity, however, and his improvement in a matter of weeks was there for all to see.

Next up was a showdown with Steve Gethin, in Glasgow, and this time Khan was back to his dazzling best, finishing off his opponent after 49 seconds of the third round. Dressed in sparkling shorts trimmed with tartan, Khan won over the Scots' fans as he has the rest of the nation with a no-nonsense display.

Finally he finished off his first year as a pro with an even better display against his toughest opponent to date - Daniel Thorpe. The Sheffield boxer used all his experience to try and rough up the Boltion teenager, but Khan was not having any of it, and had the ability and technique to outmanoeuvre his more experienced opponent. He decked him in the first round before producing two long range rights that had Thorpe rocking. A trademark flurry of shots and the ref stopped the fight just before the end of the second round.

It was a satisfying finale to 2005, a year which has seen Khan, helped by the first live televised boxing on ITV for years, being taken to the nation's hearts.

There is never a dull moment when Khan is in town and 2006 promises to be even more dramatic.