It’s a knockout for Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddy Roach

Legendary trainer Freddie Roach has waited too long to see his protege Manny Pacquiao knock out an opponent.

Manny Pacquiao works out with trainer Freddie Roach ahead of his fight with Jeff Horn. Picture: Top Rank

Legendary trainer Freddie Roach has waited too long to see his protege Manny Pacquiao knock out an opponent. He’s hoping that streak ends against Jeff Horn in Brisbane in early July.

“Manny hasn’t knocked out an opponent in quite a while,” Roach told The Weekend Australian from his base in Los Angeles yesterday morning. “I’m looking for the old Manny Pacquiao to show me he can still deliver and do it in that fashion. We still have some fight left in us. We want to show Jeff Horn we’re still there, that he’s still a great fighter.

“(Horn) should bring his best game to the fight. I think that will happen. I’m anxious to see Manny knock somebody out.

“It has been too long. We’ll do everything possible — we’ll be 100 per cent prepared.”

Pacquiao has won 38 of his 67 fights by knockout, but the last of those was nearly eight years ago when he belted Miguel Cotto into submission in Nevada.

The Filipino is closer to the end than the beginning of his storeyed career but Roach insists the desire still burns in the WBO welterweight champion.

Roach plans to fly to The ­Philippines to begin preparing for the Horn fight six weeks before the July 2 date at Suncorp Stadium. The pair will then fly to Brisbane a couple of weeks before the bout to begin acclimatising to the conditions.

Horn, unbeaten in his 17 bouts, will start the fight as a rank outsider. “We’re going against one of the better fighters in Australia,” Roach said. “Manny has never been there before. We’re going to work really hard for the fight. I’m going to The Philippines for six weeks to get him ready for the fight.

“The entire camp will be in The Philippines. We’ll go to Australia about 10 or 11 days before the fight to get acclimatised.

“Horn is one of the tougher guys in that weight division in Australia. So we’ll see what he’s got. He’s a little bit of an awkward fighter. He has a bit of an awkward style. Manny will be in great shape for the fight.”

The fight is expected to attract a crowd in excess of 50,000 to Suncorp Stadium. For Roach, it will be the first time he has been to Australia since he worked the corner of Justin Fortune nearly 30 years ago. His only taste of Australia in the interim has been when he worked alongside Jeff Fenech in the corner of Mike Tyson a decade ago.

Pacquiao has never been to Australia but Roach said the 38-year-old wanted to leave a lasting impression by ending the hopes and dreams of Horn.

“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for (Horn) to show his skills and so forth. I’m sure he will try to take advantage of it,” Roach said. “Again, we’re getting towards the end of it. He still has a lot of fight in him. He looked really good in his last fight, I thought. He showed a bit of the old Manny Pacquiao.

“I hope he does in this fight too. We’re planning to win by knockout because that’s what we would like to see. We’ll see what he’s got. Horn has won some fights by knockout.

“He thinks he is a bit of a puncher now. I hope he comes and fights. I dread guys who run. We’re expecting him to come to fight. Best of luck to Horn but he might need more than that.

“Manny likes to fight. He’s a ­really likeable person. His speed is unbelievable and really hard to deal with. Horn will have trouble with it also.

“You have to be double quick because Manny has it over everyone in that speed department. It is still 100 per cent there and he showed that in his last fight.

“Manny is not near done yet. Horn better be ready for this fight because we’re coming.”