Miguel Cotto will look to win his fourth world title when he faces reigning WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez on June 7 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.
As part of his preparation for his crucial showdown with Martinez, reports indicated that Cotto will fly to the Philippines to begin training camp with trainer Freddie Roach.
Roach is currently in the Philippines training Manny Pacquiao for his upcoming rematch with Timothy Bradley on April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
According to Roach, Cotto might stay in the Philippines for several weeks and the Puerto Rican could train alongside Pacquiao, who knocked him out during their showdown in November 2009.
But while the Hall of Fame trainer confirmed that the former rivals might consider training together, Roach quashed several reports suggesting that Pacquiao and Cotto will have sparring sessions.
"That is false," Roach said in an interview with ABS-CBN News when asked about the rumored sparring sessions between Cotto and Pacquiao. "Cotto might come here if we stay long enough, to come and see the Philippines and train with Manny. But [Cotto will] not spar with him."
Roach insisted that both fighters will not benefit from sparring against each other because of the different skills of their respective opponents. The veteran trainer also added that Cotto is now campaigning at the 160-pound division, while Pacquiao will fight at 147 pounds in his next bout.
The 53-year-old trainer revealed that they have already finalized Pacquiao's training camp plans, including names of possible sparring mates. Pacquiao is currently sparring with Lydell Rhodes in the Philippines and will work with former champion Kendal Holt when he starts training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
Both fighters are looking to silence their doubters in their upcoming fights.
Cotto, who lost in two-straight fights before defeating Delvin Rodriguez in October last year, will look to prove that he is still among the best boxers in the world today. The 33-year-old Puerto Rican is looking to become the first fighter from his country to win world titles in four different divisions.
Pacquiao, on the other hand, will try to prove that he is a better fighter than Bradley. The undefeated American won against Pacquiao in a controversial fashion during their WBO welterweight title showdown in June 2012.
