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 down Bailey 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 yesterday: "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. Last 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."

In front of the terrestrial television cameras which beamed ITV's big-time boxing return into millions of homes, Khan 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 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 off the contest 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.

"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 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 and become Britain's youngest-ever world champion by the age of 21 will now continue, with his next appearance pencilled in for the September 10 show involving Joe Calzaghe.