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The British fighter was on his way to have a precautionary brain scan after his victory over Marcos Maidana.
Khan, improving his record to 24-1, with 17 knockouts, outboxed the Argentine slugger in the early rounds and survived a brutal onslaught in the tenth, holding on for a unanimous decision.
Although the Mandalay Bay Events Centre was only about half full for his Las Vegas debut, nobody could doubt Khan had taken the best shots of a ferocious puncher and survived.
"We knew he had speed, and we knew he was a great fighter, a great boxer," Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer said.
"We didn't know about how he would react when the going got tough, because he had been knocked out once before.
"I think he went from having one of the most questionable chins in boxing to having one of the best. He showed the heart. This kid is not going to quit."
Now that Khan has the tough-guy credentials many doubted he could ever earn, along with a major boost for his stateside fame, he can return to his new home in Bolton.
He deserves a December break after nearly four months of training that took him from Hollywood to the Philippines, where he sparred with fellow Freddie Roach pupil Manny Pacquiao.
Even before Khan began his rest, Schaefer and Khan's camp already had settled on a clear plan for 2011.
Schaefer said Khan intended to make his next title defence in Britain, probably on April 16. It could turn out to be a monster day for British fight fans. Promoters also hope Wladimir Klitschko will fight English heavyweight champion David Haye that night in Las Vegas in a three-belt unification bout.
Khan's April opponent could be Golden Boy prospect Victor Ortiz, who fought to a majority draw against Lamont Peterson on Saturday's undercard, or veteran Zab Judah, the former welterweight champion who moved down to 63.5 kg this year.
Khan then intends to return to the United States in July to fight the winner of Timothy Bradley's title unification bout with Devon Alexander in Pontiac, Michigan, on January 29.
Alexander, from St Louis, is the WBC super-lightweight champion. Bradley, from Palm Springs, holds the WBO belt. Both are outstanding fighters in a loaded division, but neither has Khan's worldwide fame or television appeal.
"Next year, we're going to know who's the undisputed champion," Schaefer said. "I think it will be Amir Khan, but Bradley or Alexander could easily take it for themselves. There are so many outstanding fighters coming into their prime in this division."
A bout with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr also looms on the distant horizon if Khan can stay tough and Mayweather can stay out of jail. But there's plenty of work to do before then.
Roach wasn't entirely pleased with Khan's effort against Maidana, noting the fighter strayed from Roach's game plan to keep him out of a slugfest.
Khan's mistakes were most glaring in the middle rounds, when Maidana took control with his aggression, and again in the tenth, when Maidana reduced Khan to a glassy-eyed, wobbly-kneed mess.
But Khan stayed on his feet and kept moving, making full use of his excellent conditioning under coach Alex Ariza, who also works alongside Roach with Manny Pacquiao.
Schaefer and Oscar De La Hoya also heaped praise on Maidana (29-2), whose crowd-pleasing style makes him a highly entertaining fighter despite deficiencies in technique and discipline.
Schaefer and De La Hoya intend to travel to Argentina next month to hype up Maidana, and they would like to match him in early 2011 against the loser of Bradley's bout with Alexander.
Khan has been looking forward to getting home to England, but after his break, he's likely to keep training with Roach in Los Angeles. His fame isn't nearly so suffocating stateside, but is going to grow.
"I took everything he gave me," Khan said. "Those who said Amir Khan couldn't take a shot, I proved them wrong."
