Alex Morrison shared the unanimous prediction of the boxing bookmakers until Willie Limond turned up in the best shape of his career. Now the Commonwealth lightweight champion's manager will fly to London today with renewed optimism as the Garthamlock fighter defends his title against the prodigious Amir Khan at the O2 Arena.

It represents new territory for both champion and challenger: Limond, whose only loss occurred at super-featherweight to Edinburgh's Alex Arthur, will encounter a world champion-in-waiting. Khan, for his part, has yet to face as durable or game an opponent since turning professional after capturing the imagination of the British public with his silver medal in the Olympic Games.

The fighters both made the weight yesterday afternoon and Morrison predicted the amiable Limond will confound critics, a partisan crowd inside the old Millennium Dome and a sizeable armchair audience by retaining his belt against heavy odds.

"To be honest I was feeling a bit depressed until I saw him on Tuesday before he left," said Morrison. "He really lifted my spirits because he was bursting with good health.

"Up until then I was not looking forward to it and had never really discussed his chances but he came in to see me and looked really good. He was around a pound and a half over the fighting weight and really was gleaming. I really think he can and will win it."

Limond is a manager's dream. A dedicated pugilist with a successful joinery trade, he has enjoyed none of the commercial trappings afforded to Khan since joining Frank Warren's Sports Network stable. Lucrative endorsement deals are a pipe dream to the self-made man and Morrison revealed his own input had been minimal throughout the eight-week programme leading up to tonight's bout.

"With Willie there is not a lot that needs to be done," said Morrison. "He is very self-sufficient and very professional. He has organised his own sparring partners and arranged his training with Billy Nelson at the Phoenix Gym. He has done it all himself. He went to the press conference earlier and was surprised Frank Warren recognised him and came up to say hello. That's how humble he is, but they will all know about him if he beats Khan.

"He has succeeded in everything he has done in life. He works hard as a joiner and has three houses to show for it. He has not wasted a penny of prize money. He is a boxing entrepreneur. He worked right up to when this fight was announced eight weeks ago."

Limond overcame a spate of illness and injury to win the Commonwealth title and has no desire to lose the belt he worked hard to win. This week's build-up has been based on mutual respect between the pair. They have been spotted laughing and joking together throughout their contractual obligations in London but Limond himself said "I have no problem being friendly with a guy knowing I'm going to have to punch him later in the week."

"He is not the type to be disrespectful out of the ring. It's not his style," said Morrison. "The closest he got to experiencing it was when he fought Alex Arthur and had the whole Edinburgh v Glasgow thing between the fans. I told him to steer clear of all that and he did. He is not into bad-mouthing anyone.

"I'll tell you how popular a guy he is. After one of his fights, I took him to Satti Singh's restaurant in Glasgow and they got talking. Satti got on so well with him he offered to finance his training for a year."

While the experts predict a procession for the challenger, Morrison has other ideas and believes Limond will provide the defining moment of his career. "He is a very meticulous fighter and I do not have to worry about his condition going into the ring. His work is always very tidy, he always looks after himself.

"He has been unfortunate with injuries at vital times, he had the perforated eardrum and a lung infection that set him back, so he knows what this fight means. I think he will keep it nice and tight to begin with. Amir has quick hands but Willie has a good defence and will make him miss more than he has been used to.

"He does not waste a lot of punches either, so is physically and tactically prepared to go the distance. He may not have a knock-out punch but he has enough power and accuracy for Khan to pay attention to him. The only time I've seen him down was when he sparred with Barry Morrison before he was due to fight Alex Arthur. He was in tears and was all ready for chucking it but now his hard work can pay off."