Amir Khan stormed back to top form with an explosive fourth-round stoppage of Stoke's Scott Lawton to retain his Commonwealth lightweight title in style at the Nottingham Arena.

Khan forced referee Victor Loughran's intervention after 30 savage seconds of the round, snapping Lawton's head back with a combination and then launching a series of unanswered blows.

After suffering a stunning knockdown in his last fight against Willie Limond two months ago, it was precisely the kind of blistering performance Khan needed to justify his boasts of imminent world domination.

His promoter Frank Warren has been eager to adopt a more cautious approach - and perhaps that is why he selected Lawton, a well-schooled fighter but one who came relatively risk-free in the punch department.

Lawton had stopped just four of his previous 24 opponents and came to face Khan on the back of a seventh-round defeat against British champion Jon Thaxton in his last fight in February.

But Lawton's ambition was evident for all to see in the size of the following who had travelled up from nearby Stoke to support him in his bid to destroy the dreams of the Olympic silver medallist.

Khan announced himself entirely unruffled by his visit to the canvas against Limond, especially given the way he clambered to his feet and piled on the pressure to force his opponent's retirement two rounds later.

But he admitted he had paid special attention to improving his previously porous defence, and that was evident in the early stages as he stalked from his corner with his hands held sufficiently high.

Khan was certainly unfazed by a boisterous 2,000-strong Lawton following, as he barged his opponent into a corner and unloaded a left hook which had the Stoke man covering up.

Another good right found its target before the first bell sounded, but Lawton was certainly well-schooled enough to make Khan work for his sporadic early moments of success.

With the vast majority of the crowd on his side, Lawton was clearly determined not to fold without a fight - and he drew a roar for some good work early in the second which left Khan tangled in the ropes.

But Khan's speed and sharpness was already making a difference, and a perfect counter-attacking left saw in the incoming Lawton temporarily stopped in his tracks.

A searing barrage in a neutral corner would have caused lesser men to fold towards the end of the second, but to his credit Lawton stayed on his feet and even managed to summon the occasional response.

After a more cagey third, Khan exploded into life early in the fourth round - beginning with a swift left-right combination and continuing to pour in the punches until referee Loughran wisely stepped in.