Lawton looking to upset the Odds

Taking on Amir Khan holds no fears for horse whisperer Scott Lawton - after he tamed a wild gypsy stallion. The former English lightweight champion tackles the Commonwealth king at the Nottingham Arena on Saturday 6th October live on ITV1. And while he admits fighting Khan won't be easy, he says it doesn't compare to the time when he risked his life in scenes straight out of the wild west. "My dad's got some land and we've always ridden horses on it," said Lawton, who show-jumped in his youth. "One day he bought an eight-year-old horse from some travellers, and no one could get on him. "I like a challenge so I said I'd have go. When I got on him he reared right up, kicked his legs and did his best to throw me off. He even sat right down. It was a nightmare. "But I'm pretty determined and I went back every day and got back on him. It was hard work and I could have got seriously injured, but I like a challenge. Now he's as good as gold. "If I can tame a wild stallion, I'm sure I can tame Khan on October 6th." And Lawton also revealed that his horse-riding skills have also been appreciated in America, home of the rodeo. "When the Khan fight was announced, I was actually in Florida on a bit of a break. When I was over there I went to a place where they had a bucking bronco machine. "The guy operating it cranked it right up when I got on, but I managed to stay on to the end. "When I got off he asked me if I'd done any rodeo riding and everyone in the crowd was high-fiving me. "They couldn't believe it when I told them I was actually from England and not Forth Worth!" Lawton, 30, has previously challenged for the British lightweight title against Jon Thaxton, losing on a stoppage after he was forced to open up after being badly cut. He boasts a 24-3-1 record, and says he is confident of beating the man he once cheered on to Olympic success. "I don't think anyone was shouting louder than I was when Amir won that silver medal," said Lawton, who hopes to personally shift as many as 1,000 tickets for the clash. "It was an amazing achievement but amateur success means nothing in the pro ranks. "Obviously he's got amazing speed, and people say that speed kills. But I'm confident that I've got a good enough game plan to beat him. "His fight against Willie Limond has given me some confidence in that he got put down, but I was also impressed by the way he got up and fought back to stop Limond soon afterwards. "People might look at my record and question whether I've got the power to hurt Amir, but I know I hit hard enough to hurt. I'm much better against tall fighters because I'm quite tall myself, and I'm confident I'll give Amir plenty to think about." Khan v Lawton headlines a superb four-title show titled Collision Course that also features Commonwealth Super-Featherweight Champion Kevin Mitchell; Bradley Pryce's Commonwealth Light-Middleweight title defence against Martin Concepcion; the Vacant Super-Featherweight Championship between Stephen Bell and Femi Fehintola plus a quality packed undercard.