By Miguel Rivera

Former world champion Antonio Margarito was aiming for one contest since his comeback began in early 2016.

He wanted a third fight with four division champion Miguel Cotto, who returns on December 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Cotto is planning to retire by year's end, and Margarito will not be his final career opponent. Cotto will defend his WBO junior middleweight title against heavy underdog Sadam Ali, who moves up from the welterweight division.

Margarito (41-8, 27 KOs) split two fights with Cotto in the longstanding rivalry.

In 2008, Margarito took away the unbeaten record of Cotto in an emotional war in Las Vegas, where the Mexican slugger broke Cotto down and stopped him in the eleventh round. There was a rematch in 2011, which saw Cotto stop Margarito in the ninth round - after the ringside doctors became worried over Margarito's injured eye in the fight.

"I think I'll be back in the ring for 2018, maybe in the month of March or in April. And the truth is - I would have loved the third fight with Cotto to get revenge, but now it can't happen anymore," said Margarito to ESPN Deportes.

"The one opponent that I really wanted, the one I was looking, after everything I won't have the trilogy fight with Cotto, which is what I wanted."

Regarding his future, Margarito said he was given three months of forced rest due to the cuts he suffered in the controversial win over Carson Jones in September.

"For the next fight I will go to train at the Otomi Ceremonial Center. I did not feel well in my last fight, I hoped that the elevation of Chihuahua did not affect me and it affected me. We'll get the date and look over the opponents and then we will see what is best for us," said the 39-year-old fighter.