Khan's world tour continues in D.C

In the old days, on the carnival circuit, there was always a muscle-bound guy who climbed into the ring and told the crowd he'd take on all comers, and if someone beat him, they'd get something like $100 and his best bottle of whiskey.

If Amir Khan were around in those days, he'd have been the first to volunteer for the challenge.

There's nothing that Khan, the World Boxing Association/International Boxing Federation super lightweight champion, relishes more than a good fight. He's the kind of guy who says yes to every opportunity and hopes for the tougher the better.

He may be dreaming when he says he believes he can beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. after he moves to welterweight next year. Still, you have to love the spunk of a guy who believes so deeply in himself that there are no boundaries he'll set and no challenges he thinks are too great.

He goes on the road yet again to take on the hometown boy, Lamont Peterson, in a 12-round HBO-televised fight for the WBA/IBF titles Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

It's no problem for Khan to fight away from home, where he could draw sellout crowds and make a lot of money without the effort and the expense of flying halfway around the world.

Khan, though, is trying to build his brand fight fan by fight fan. With that, he realizes must take the show on the road and put on the best bouts against the most talented competition.

"I'm doing [it] basically the way it should be done," Khan said, accurately though immodestly. "The best fighters should face the best fighters in the world and I'm doing that. I wanted to fight [Timothy] Bradley; he turned it down. We took on [Marcos] Maidana; we beat him. We took on Zab Judah, who also was another threat in that division, and we took him out. "That's the reason they've put me to number one in the world [at 140 pounds], because they call me the best fighter in that division because I'm one fighter who loves taking the risks and fighting the best out there."

The fight is in Peterson's hometown, but the charismatic Khan hopes to claim a few of the locals as his own. Peterson has yet to have that defining victory of his own and knows he won't get many more shots after a loss to Bradley and a draw with Victor Ortiz, so his motivation is high.

Khan, though, relishes the thought of beating the hometown boy in front of his own fans and having them switch sides by the end of the night.

[ Related: Khan-Peterson? The experts decide ]

"I've got a style that people love, and when they see me in real life, they see the speed, they see the power, they see the explosive style," Khan said.

Freddie Roach, the newly minted Hall of Fame trainer, works with both Manny Pacquiao and Khan and can measure Khan's progress by the way he deals with Pacquiao.

There are more similarities than differences between them, Roach said, particularly when it comes to physical skills.

"They both have a lot of speed," Roach said. "They both have a lot of power. They both have great work ethic. They're definitely good role models for everybody in the world. They're great at what they do because they work hard at it."

There have been varying reports about how Peterson may choose to attack Khan, and considering he's not handing out his game plan in a folder, Roach has had to prepare for every eventuality and believes speed will ultimately be the difference.

"I've had boxers and bangers both [in to train with Khan]," Roach said. "I mean we're here. If [Peterson] wants to bang with us, we're ready for that. If he wants to try to box with us, we're ready for that. We're studying tapes of him, and we see where he likes to be and so forth. We're not going to put ourselves in those positions. Amir is just going to be too fast for him in my book."

Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya called Peterson "a very stiff, strong, difficult test," for Khan.

But Khan, who is 26-1 with 18 KOs, is in another league when it comes to talent. He's won eight in a row since suffering his only loss, to Breidis Prescott in 2008, and five of his previous opponents were world champions.

If he gets past Peterson, Khan's almost certainly going to jump to 147, unless he can make a bout with Bradley, who holds the WBO belt. Things most certainly won't get easier for him.

You'll get no complaint from Khan, though.

"One thing about me I think the world of boxing knows is I never shy away from any fight," Khan said. "I've taken on whoever they've put in front of me and I've never refused a fight. That's one thing about me. They put Floyd Mayweather in front of me; I'll be more than ready for Floyd Mayweather."

He hasn't won them all and he may not beat Mayweather.

But you have to love the guys who dare the bully to knock the chip off their shoulders.

They are the fighters who make boxing great.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
• Injury keeps Georges St. Pierre out of UFC 143; Nick Diaz to face Carlos Condit
• Kris Humphries hopes marital drama doesn't impact search for new NBA contract
• World No. 1 Luke Donald dares to call Rory McIlroy more talented than Tiger Woods