Miguel Cotto is once again watching to see what Manny Pacquiao will do.

Officials with Cotto (40-5, 33 knockouts) are trying to plan his next fight, which has been pushed back from the summer to the late fall.

But one impediment to securing a date for Cotto is the potential return of Pacquiao, whose promoter, Bob Arum, has a hold on the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for Oct. 15 in the event Pacquiao decides to reverse course and fight again. Pacquiao stopped Cotto in the 12th round back in 2009, sending him to the canvas twice. Now, he could be in his way again.

The preferred timeframe for Cotto to return is also October but that will likely only happen if Pacquiao decides to stay retired and tend to his responsibilities as a newly elected Senator in the Philippines, a source told RingTV.com on Saturday. If Pacquiao opts to come back, then Dec. 3 on HBO PPV is a potential landing spot for Cotto, the source said.

As far as an opponent, officials are sifting through a list of “big names” around the 150-pound range. Fellow four-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1-, 40 KOs) is the desired choice but issues with weight could scuttle those plans, the source said.

Marquez, 42, reportedly doesn’t want to fight above the welterweight limit of 147 pounds, whereas Cotto’s preference is to fight closer to 150 after he had been competing at middleweight catch-weights for his past three fights. Cotto, 35, hasn’t fought since last November when he lost a competitive decision to Canelo Alvarez. Officials were trying to get him back in the ring this summer but couldn’t come to terms with an opponent who would make sense for HBO PPV.