By Edward Chaykovsky

Freddie Roach, head trainer of WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs), is expecting a very big fight in the fall.

Recently, it was announced that Pacquiao would make the first defense of his title on July 1, before an expected crowd of 55,000 people at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, against undefeated 2012 Australian Olympian Jeff Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs).

Horn is a huge underdog in the contest. The boxer is largely unknown in the United States, the UK and he is not even considered to be at the superstar level in Australia. But a local Olympian facing one of the most recognized boxing names in the world will generate a lot of money in the country.

As previously reported, Roach believes Pacquiao will get his first knockout win since the fall of 2009, when he put away Miguel Cotto in the twelfth round. The fight took place at a catch-weight of 145-pounds. Cotto moved to 154 in his next bout.

According to Roach, he saw shades of the old Pacquiao last November, when the Filipino star defeated Jessie Vargas to capture the WBO belt. He hopes Horn is prepared for what's coming.

"I want Horn to be extra ready for this. In Manny’s last fight, I saw a lot of the old Manny in the way he hurt his opponent and went after him. That was missing for a few years because of Manny’s religious beliefs. He wasn’t as aggressive. But he’s very aggressive again and like I say I’m anxious for Manny to win by a knockout because he’s due for one and we’ll go on to bigger and better things when that happens," Roach told Fox Sports Australia.

While Roach is not underestimating Horn, he does view him as a tuneup fight of sorts for a much bigger opportunity in the fall. The three candidates, according to Roach, are WBC lightweight champion Mikey Garcia, WBC/WBO junior welterweight champion Terence Crawford, and British star Amir Khan. All three of those boxers will see action the coming months.

"The thing is I like this fight [with Horn]. There’s a chance Manny could be fighting Mikey Garcia or Amir Khan or Terence Crawford next. Manny needs a fight like Jeff Horn to get ready for a bigger fight. Activity has always been the key for Manny and when he’s busy he’s always at his best. We want activity and me and Manny love to see the world. I’ve been to Sydney once but never to Brisbane. I’ve been to 36 countries. I have the greatest job in the world training fighters and seeing the world," Roach said.