It looks virtually certain that New York-based Egyptian slugger Kabary Salem will be my next world title opponent in Edinburgh on October 22 and that suits me just fine.

It hasn't been confirmed by promoter Frank Warren yet, but the man nicknamed the Egyptian Magician is the man he's after and that's the man I want.

Some people may look at his last fight, a points defeat by Mario Veit for the right to challenge for my WBO super-middleweight crown had I relinquished it by beating Glen Johnson for the IBF light-heavyweight title, and wonder why I'm happy to fight him.

After all I knocked out Veit inside two minutes at Cardiff back in April 2001 and I told you last week I didn't see any point fighting Veit again.

Well, let me tell you, even by German home town standards, that points decision in Veit's favour was a travesty and Salem will be a much tougher opponent for me.

I watched the fight on Eurosport and it was one of the biggest robberies I've ever seen. I made Salem the winner of nine of the 12 rounds and he shook Veit to his boots every time he hit him.

Veit was holding him all through the fight and when the decision was announced in Veit's favour, even the German crowd booed, and that says it all.

Salem moved forward all the way through the fight, as he always does. He's big and strong and has never been stopped in winning 23 and losing just three of his 26 fights and he'll be a mean and tough opponent.

I will have to be on my toes from the bell and make sure I don't give him a chance and I'll have to use all my boxing skills.

Not only is Salem tough (one of his opponents died soon after being KO'd earlier in Salem's career) but he is also rough and comes in with his head low as an extra weapon on occasions. But if he cuts up rough I can be rough too. I'm not afraid to be dirty if I have to be.

I'm confident I'll win and equal Chris Eubank's record of 15 world title defences. Then I'll hope to step up to light-heavyweight again and go after bigger fish and bigger pay-days. But if that doesn't happen immediately, then I'll go on and make it 16 title defences to put myself in the record books with a record I don't think will ever be broken.

The one disappointment regarding the next fight is that it won't be shown on Showtime in America and if I am to fight there eventually, I need as much exposure there as possible. However, at the end of the day I am just pleased to be in action again and after the October fight I have told Frank Warren I want to be kept busy.

I have hopefully put my injury and personal problems behind me, I'm feeling cool again and can't wait to end the boredom of not fighting. Like any sportsman, all I want to do is be in action as often as possible, besides which if I don't fight I don't get any pay.

The eyes of the nation will focus on boxing tonight with 17-year-old Amir Khan chasing a silver medal at the Olympics and hopefully, eventually, the gold.

I have watched him in action and he has improved with every fight and I have to agree with everyone that he is a terrific boxer. Provided he keeps his feet on the ground he has a massive future and will make a lot of money.

I think he will beat his Kazakhstan opponent tonight and go on to win the gold, but it will not be as easy as some people are predicting.

The Cuban favourite has had over 400 senior amateur bouts and is the reigning world and Olympic champion and if he meets Khan in the final it will be man against boy, experience against inexperience, world senior champion against world junior champion.

But Khan is by far the best amateur boxer to come out of Britain for many years and far greater than Audley Harrison, and he won Olympic gold.

I hope Khan does win the gold medal because it will be a great shot in the arm for British boxing to have someone so young and talented at the helm.