CHEEKY Scott Lawton sparked a war of words with his claim that he sees Bolton's Amir Khan as a stepping stone.

The 30-year-old challenges Commonwealth lightweight champion Khan at the Nottingham Arena on October 6 and says the fight is a great opportunity to get another showdown with British champion Jon Thaxton.

Lawton boxed well against Thaxton before being stopped by a cut in March of this year, only his third defeat and his first inside the distance.

But instead of disheartening the Staffordshire fighter, it's only served to boost his confidence.

"I want another fight against Thaxton, and beating Amir will give me the chance to get that opportunity," said Lawton at a press conference in Nottingham.

"I didn't disgrace myself when I fought Thaxton, and I feel I belong in that kind of company. Obviously Amir is a very good fighter, but to be honest I'm looking at bigger things."

The current English champion also vowed to bring a large army of fans to the Nottingham Arena from his home town of Stoke.

"Hopefully they will turn it into a home venue for me, I've sold a lot of tickets," said Lawton, who boasts a 20-3-1 record.

"It's a fight that I've wanted for a very long time, so for it to actually happen and on such a big stage is great news.

"I intend to make the most of the chance and my fans won't be going home disappointed."

Khan, 20, won his title against Willie Limond in his last fight, surviving a torrid sixth round and climbing off the floor before forcing the Scotsman into retirement.

It was his 13th straight victory and his 10th inside the distance, but showed weaknesses that will have to be improved upon.

"I learned a lot from that Limond fight, probably more than I had done in my 12 previous fights" said Khan.

"I can see why it might give Scott some confidence, but I can promise him that I'm no stepping stone. This is a big fight for me because I have to prove a lot of things after what happened against Limond, but I'm confident I can do that.

"I've been working on a few things in the gym, and I can promise that I'll be back to my old self against Lawton.

"In the Limond fight something wasn't quite right, but I proved that I've got lots of heart and can come back from adversity."

Khan-Lawton tops the bill which also includes Kevin Mitchell and Bradley Pryce defending his Commonwealth light middleweight title against Martin Concepcion.