By Miguel Rivera

The link between Miguel Cotto and Freddie Roach transcends beyond a normal relationship between a boxer and his coach.

Since joining forces in 2013, they have confessed separately of building a close friendship that will surely continue once Cotto concludes his career as an athlete after the fight against Saddam Ali at Madison Square Garden, later tonight in New York City.

The duo has accumulated a 4-1 record, including four fights with titular implications. The only setback occurred in 2015 against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and this Saturday they will try to finish their run with a final victory.

Cotto called Roach after suffering back to back defeats in 2012, at the hands of world champions Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Austin Trout - and both of those losses came at the junior middleweight limit of 154-pounds.

"When the defeats of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Austin Trout came, there was an uncertainty in me. I needed to know if I had the desires, the energy and the talent to continue doing what I love, which is boxing. We discussed several names [to train me]. The one that sounded the [best], the brightest and the one I most liked was Freddie's. [Cotto Promotions CEO] Bryan [Perez] made the call," Cotto explained to Carlos Gonzalez.

"Perez communicates it to me and I tell Freddie of our intentions to work with him. He very jokingly said 'are you really Miguel?' I answered 'yes, and I want to know if in my person still remained the desire, the energy and the desire to continue doing this, which is boxing.' That was in 2013 and, in the sun today, I can say that the best decision I could make in my life dates back to that year I contacted Freddie to move to Los Angeles and start working without fear of being wrong.

"From day one when I arrived in Los Angeles, Freddie tells me that he has Gavin McMillan to work on the physical preparation while he (Roach) will take care of the technical and tactical training. When I sit down to talk with Gavin, he says that we are going to work from Monday to Thursday every morning and we are only going to run on Fridays. I come from a school where the boxer had to run six days a week. The first camp was a total surprise where the uncertainty in those first three or four weeks was great. Thanks to Gavin I discovered a bicycle, a medicine ball [and other things]. I have summarized my cardiovascular training."