Benavidez not going to wait around for Álvarez fight: 'I don't need Canelo'

David Benavidez is tired of waiting for a fight to emerge against Canelo Álvarez and is moving on from a potential undisputed title clash.

"The reason why this fight is not happening is because Canelo doesn't want it to happen, plain and simple," Benavidez told ESPN's Mike Coppinger.

Canelo and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) reportedly agreed to part ways earlier this week with two fights remaining on the boxer's contract. Álvarez leaving PBC likely puts an end to the possibility of a highly anticipated clash between him and the undefeated Benavidez, who has been aligned with the boxing promotion throughout his career.

"His actions speak a lot of words," Benavidez said. "This was the biggest fight ... so him parting ways with PBC, even though this fight for me and him was on the table ... it just speaks volumes. I'm not going to be waiting on Canelo. After I fight Canelo, my career doesn't end."

Benavidez has long sought a fight against Álvarez and said he was willing to accept $5 million with no pay-per-view share to get a deal done. That would have paid Benavidez far less than some of Álvarez's previous fights, including those against Caleb Plant ($10 million) and Billy Joe Saunders ($8 million).

The No. 2-ranked super middleweight, who is also the WBC interim titleholder at 168 pounds, will instead focus on a 175-pound fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk scheduled for June.

"I mean the money is there, the anticipation from the fight fans is there," Benavidez said. "It would be an amazing event. ... I don't need Canelo. I mean the only reason people fight Canelo is for a payday. I don't care about money. I care about winning titles and giving the fans the best fights possible."