ATHENS, Aug 21: British boxing sensation Amir Khan shrugged off the mounting excitement over his path to the Olympic Games quarterfinals here by revealing that his real target is the Beijing Games in 2008.

The 17-year-old lightweight has looked impressive in his two bouts so far with convincing wins over Greece's Marios Kaperonis and Bulgaria's European champion Dimitar Stilianov.

But the Briton, bidding to become the youngest boxing gold medallist since Floyd Patterson in 1952, is determined not to get carried away by the hype.

"I am just taking things step by step," said Amir. "My real aim is the next Olympics so being here is a bonus for me. I want to box in the next Olympic Games and win a gold medal."

His coach Terry Edwards believes his fighter has the raw talent but is keen not for him to get too distracted before his last eight fight against South Korea's Jong Sub-Baik on Tuesday.

"Amir is tremendous, he is like a breath of fresh air," said Edwards.

"He has made me feel 20 years younger. In the last few years we have seen a lot of talented boxers but we have lost them to the professional ranks or otherwise we could have had a lot more boxers here.

"There's been a lot of talk in the media about Amir, saying he is in the same bracket now as Muhammad Ali and will turn pro next week. That is a distraction to him as he is only 17.

"He has just come out of the junior ranks but he knows his plans for the future. He is here for a job and he is doing it very well."-AFP