Amir Khan took less than two minutes to beat David Bailey on his professional debut on Saturday night before a bomb scare forced the evacuation of the Bolton Arena and brought his achievement into sharp perspective.

Khan produced a superb performance to knock Bailey down twice and wrap up victory in just one minute and 49 seconds before the fire alarm - the result of a hoax bomb threat telephoned to the arena shortly after 11pm - cut his celebrations short.

As Britain's most prominent Muslim sportsman, Khan is determined not to shirk what he feels is a responsibility to use his position to foster greater unity between communities both in his home town and beyond.

Khan said he and his family struggled to come to terms with the recent horrific London bombings and added: "We need people to help and stop things happening like this.

"I will do everything I need to do to help and so will my friends and family. Saturday night was bringing people together like I did in the Olympics, when the whole country was behind me.

"Myself and my family were knocked back by the London bombings and we all need to be nice to each other now because there are a lot of bad things happening. Anyone would help and I am just doing my bit."

The 18-year-old Khan, who was supported by over 6,000 fans waving flags of both Britain and his family's native Pakistan, is already showing a maturity inside and outside the ring which most who have met him believe will turn him into a future superstar.

"Amir is not just a boxer, whether he likes it or not he is a celebrity and a big star from day one," said his promoter Frank Warren.

"This lad could be anything. If he goes on to do what we expect him to do he will not just be a British star, but a world star too.

"Neither Ricky Hatton, Naseem Hamed nor Nigel Benn had already crossed over to the news pages at this stage of their careers. We have got a head-start with Amir."

Khan has so far shown that he can shoulder the massive burden of expectation which has now become attached to him both inside and outside ring.

In front of the terrestrial television cameras which beamed ITV's big-time boxing return into millions of homes, he was simply outstanding against Bailey who had sold 200 tickets himself and had never previously been stopped in his career.

In a whirlwind start, Bailey roared from his corner and attempted to unsettle his opponent in much the same way as his stablemate Craig Watson had succeeded during February's ABA Championships, when Khan had briefly hit the deck.

But Khan kept his poise and countered superbly with a lightning left and right combination which dumped Bailey heavily for a count of nine.

Already Bailey's trainer Eugene Maloney appeared on the ring apron apparently in an attempt to call the contest off and save his clearly outclassed man from further punishment.

Seconds later a flash left from Khan floored a bloodied Bailey again - and this time Maloney threw in the towel and briefly clambered inside the ring in an attempt to attract the referee's attention.

"It was a disgrace that the referee didn't stop the fight because David was getting beaten up by a guy who will go on to be a world champion," said Maloney afterwards.

Eventually referee Phil Edwards did call the fight off to the delight of the majority of the capacity crowd who knew they had likely witnessed the beginning of one of the most exciting chapters in recent British boxing history.

Khan, who had said previously he was looking forward to adapting to the professional game over the full four-round distance, happily shrugged off his quick-fire finish.

"I was hoping for four rounds but when I saw those openings I went for them and I managed to finish it off early," said Khan.

"I was excited and nervous at the same time because I didn't know what to expect, but I preferred fighting without the amateur headguard because I had more vision.

"I know this is just the first step and I will go home and watch the tape now and hopefully improve for next time."

Khan's goal to eclipse Naseem Hamed's record and become Britain's youngest-ever world champion by the age of 21 will now continue apace, with his next appearance already slated for September 10 show involving Joe Calzaghe.

Warren hailed his latest star, saying: "For a debut we couldn't have asked for anything better.

"He has got a long, long way to go but I am sure that by the age of 21 Amir will be strapping a world title belt around his waist.

"This is the start of what is going to be a great journey for British boxing - and I am thrilled that the young man who is going to spearhead it all is Amir."