LAS VEGAS – David Benavidez has heard what many people within the boxing industry believe to be true, that Canelo Alvarez wants Benavidez to be the third opponent of the Mexican superstar’s three-fight agreement with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.

If that is indeed Alvarez’s plan, Benavidez would need to defeat Demetrius Andrade on Saturday night and another opponent to land the lucrative, career-defining fight he most wants. Guadalajara’s Alvarez also would need to defeat whichever opponent he meets May 4, the date on which the undisputed super middleweight champion has indicated he’ll return to the ring for the second fight of his PBC deal, to maintain momentum for an Alvarez-Benavidez bout.

As much as Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) wants the opportunity to win the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 168-pound crowns from Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs), he isn’t sure when or even if Alvarez will fight him.

“To be honest with you, I don’t know,” Benavidez told BoxingScene.com. “I been number one contender for the past two years. I beat Caleb Plant [on March 25] and I thought [the Canelo fight] was gonna happen after that. But, you know, at this point of time I can’t keep trying to predict what Canelo’s next move is gonna be. In my mind, Imma just keep taking care of business and I’m not going nowhere. Imma keep beating these guys, knocking ‘em down, and then a fight with me and Canelo is gonna be inevitable. He’s gonna have to see me one day.”

The WBC announced at its annual convention last week in Uzbekistan that the Benavidez-Andrade winner will become its mandatory challenger for one of the 33-year-old Alvarez’s four titles. Phoenix’s Benavidez, a two-time WBC super middleweight champion who surrendered his belt twice without losing a fight, will defend the WBC’s interim 168-pound crown against Andrade, a southpaw from Providence, Rhode Island.

“Like I said, we’re in a good position right now,” Benavidez said. “I feel like the more experience I get, the more pay-per-view fights I fight, it’s gonna give me more experience, more confidence and more comfortability to go in there. This is gonna be my second pay-per-view [main event]. These are all big events.

“By the time I get to the Canelo fight, it’s gonna be another pay-per-view fight, so Imma be extremely comfortable. Like I said, it’s gonna be one of the greatest fights in Mexican history. So, I’m looking forward to it. Patience is the key. I’m training hard, I’m working hard and whenever that fight comes, I will be victorious.”

Benavidez is a 4-1 favorite to defeat Andrade, according to BetMGM’s sportsbook. The 12-round main event between Benavidez, 26, and Andrade, 35, will headline a four-fight Showtime Pay-Per-View telecast from Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena (8 p.m. ET; 5 p.m. PT; $74.99).

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.