Amir Khan: My family values

My grandfather on my dad’s side was the first in our family to settle in the UK. He came from Pakistan on his own in the 60s and worked in a cotton mill in Bolton, earning enough to bring over the rest of his family. My dad, Shah, was only about eight when he came to this country. Like most immigrants, he has a fierce work ethic. He trained as a mechanic before setting up his own garage and then a scrapyard.

We grew up in a nice house in a very middle-class area in Bolton and had a very happy childhood. My mum, Falak, who was also brought over from Pakistan by her parents as a kid, devoted herself to bringing up me and my younger brother and sister Karoon and Tabinda, and my elder sister Mariyah.

As a kid I was hyperactive and the naughty one in school. I wouldn’t listen to anyone and thought I knew best. At home, I was always breaking things and annoying everyone. Dad was worried, so when I was eight, he took me to boxing classes in an attempt to divert my energy and keep me out of trouble. It made a huge difference to the way I saw life, and taught me discipline. It also taught me respect, because Dad made it clear that if I didn’t behave I wouldn’t be able to go back to the gym. If it wasn’t for him I have no doubt I’d have just wasted my life.

Dad was surprised when people at the gym started saying that I had the potential to be a champion. His intention was to keep me off the streets, not to make me a world-class boxer. But he was so proud, especially when I won a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics. I was only 17 and I know Mum and Dad were scared for me because I was just a boy, yet I was fighting men.

I don’t have to worry about the business side of my career, because Dad oversees all that. He deals with the lawyers, making sure my fight contracts are all up to date and done properly. He’s the money man. It’s great to have him taking care of all that because it’s so easy when you’re young to be reckless with money. And I know my dad is never going to stitch me up! He’s always giving me pep talks warning me against people who might just want to be my friend because of who I am. He’s so wise.

Dad’s always ringside at my fights – his main priority is that I’m safe. Mum stopped coming when the fights got harder because she couldn’t bear to see the blood. She’ll just sit at home or in the hotel waiting until it’s all over. My wife, Faryal, won’t come either because she’s scared I’ll get hurt.

My parents live with us and my younger brother and sister in a big house in Bolton which I bought and extended. I had a big annexe built, where I live with Faryal and our baby daughter, Lamysa, who’s six months old. The rest of the family live opposite. Tabinda is married and they live a couple of miles away, but we see each other all the time. We still all eat together most nights, although I’m away a lot, and Mum still does all my washing and keeps my kit in order.

I am determined to be the same kind of father to Lamysa as my dad has been to me and guide her through life. I’m really excited at the thought of her first Christmas. Although we are Muslim, we still celebrate. We have a little tree and a turkey dinner with the family. It’s really important to me that when Lamysa starts school and the other kids talk about what they got for Christmas, she doesn’t feel left out.

The boxing world can be a very lonely one and I’m so grateful every day to have Dad and my whole family watching my back. It would be unthinkable if I didn’t have their support.

• Amir will fight Devon Alexander on Saturday, 13 December at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, sportscorporation.com