EXPECT a new and improved Amir Khan when he steps into the ring tomorrow.

The Bolton boxer returns to action for the first time since his humiliating first round stoppage three months ago and is determined to have learned his lesson the hard way.

Colombian Breidis Prescott put the 21-year-old on his backside in devastating fashion and Khan is determined that will not happen again against tough Irishman Oisin Fagan at London’s ExCel Arena.

“Expect a new Amir Khan,” he said. “Even before the last fight I learned a lot but didn’t get chance to put it into practice and now I have learned even more things which has made me a better fighter.

“I have put the Prescott experience behind me, and I am not going to think about it.

“The defeat has just made me more determined to train harder, but it will make me more careful and focussed. I believe I am a better fighter and learned so much from my last fight even though it was very short. The confidence will always be there but I will come back.

“I got beat a few times as an amateur but I came back stronger and beat those guys. I have put the loss behind me and I will come back a better fighter.”

Khan ditched his Miami-based Cuban trainer Jorge Rubio after just one fight and opted for the highly-rated Wildcard Gym in Hollywood, run by Freddie Roach.

“Mentally it was tough because it was my first defeat and mentally it hurts but you have to be strong and you can’t give up,” added Khan. “I am not going to hide away. I want to get back into it and prove to my critics I am not finished.

“I sparred with a lot of guys and most were much heavier and got caught with some good shots but dealt with it and didn’t go down.

“In America I could chill out a lot more and concentrate on my boxing. Here I do a lot of charity work but it takes a lot out of you so going away was the best thing.

“Things happen for a reason and if I hadn’t lost my fight I wouldn’t have gone to America and that has made me a better fighter.

“It was a culture shock going into the gym as it is very busy with about 50 fighters in there and they give you no respect, you have to earn it. Nobody cared who Amir Khan was, they got on with their boxing and I liked that. You want to get in and train yourself.

“Sometimes it is nice to train on your own just before a fight but you can feel lonely and isolated. I loved it over there.

“I can’t wait to go back again. I will do that for all my fights in future. You need to get used to the hard sparring and I am struggling to get that in England.”

Roach quickly spotted the flaws in Khan’s boxing and has been working hard on putting them right over the last six weeks.

Khan added: “Freddie says I get excited and throw shots when I don’t need to and fight for 12 rounds not for one. My style is based on high workrate, throwing a lot of punches but I need to pace myself a bit more and try and be more accurate.

“Putting it altogether has made me more confident and I can’t wait to get back in the ring.

“My defence is lacking when I try to finish my opponent off or go in without thinking and I have no defence. He wants me to be smarter and my defence will be there. I know what happens when you make a mistake as I did in my last fight and I am never going to make that mistake again.”

Let’s hope so for Khan’s sake.