Diego Pacheco couldn’t justify the risk of facing Christian Mbilli in Quebec for the rewards he was offered.

That’s why Pacheco pulled out of the negotiating process last month for a WBC super middleweight elimination match with Mbilli that could’ve made him that sanctioning organization’s mandatory challenger for one of Canelo Alvarez’s titles.

Once Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, Pacheco’s promoter, informed WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman that Pacheco withdrew from those talks, Mbilli’s handlers made a deal for him to oppose Poland’s Maciej Sulecki on June 27 at Videotron Centre in Quebec City, Canada.

Los Angeles' Pacheco opted to fight Trevor McCumby on July 19 at the Dallas Cowboys’ training facility, Ford Center at The Star, in Frisco, Texas. Pacheco explained his decision to The Ring following a promotional event Tuesday in Frisco.

"Honestly, the purse wasn't that great," Pacheco said of what he was offered to battle Mbilli. "If the purse would've been great, we would’ve considered it. But it wasn't even a difference from fighting a guy like McCumby and we were going [to another country] and being the 'B' side. You know what I mean?"

Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs) was born in Cameroon, but has developed a fan base in Quebec, where he resides and trains. Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) and his team temporarily contemplated boxing Mbilli in Canada because Pacheco can’t draw the types of crowds Mbilli has attracted in Montreal and Quebec City.

Ultimately, money wasn’t the only factor that prevented Pacheco from fighting Mbilli in Quebec. He was ranked No. 2 by the WBC, one spot below Mbilli, but he is already the WBO’s No. 1 challenger for another of Alvarez’s championships.

"I fight Mbilli and I’d be the mandatory for Canelo, right, with the WBC?,” Pacheco asked. "But Canelo’s fighting Crawford, right? And then, after that, God knows what Canelo's gonna try to do. He might go up. Who knows? So, it’s kinda like I don't wanna play that game where I'm just waiting on Canelo. I'd rather do my own thing and build my career. And if that fight happens I'd be so grateful and happy. But if not, it's not the end of the world."

Though this wasn't the right time, at least from Pacheco's perspective, to fight Mbilli, Pacheco expects to eventually face the all-action contender. The 30-year-old Mbilli is a 20-1 favorite to beat Sulecki (33-3, 13 KOs), whom Pacheco knocked out in the sixth round of their August 31 bout at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Regardless, Alvarez – win, lose or draw versus Terence Crawford on September 13 – probably won’t seriously consider fighting the Mbilli-Sulecki winner anytime soon.

"You know, if we were fighting for that title that Canelo has, me and Mbilli, oh yeah – definitely," Pacheco said. "But to be fighting for a position to fight Canelo, like I'm already in that position with the WBO. And Eddie Hearn, my promoter, has an amazing relationship with the WBO. So, after talking with Eddie, that's where the decision came from to go this way, and then potentially at the end of the year fighting Mbilli in the U.S., not in Canada."

Mbilli is ranked No. 1 among The Ring’s super middleweight contenders for the title held by Mexico's Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs). Pacheco is The Ring’s second-ranked contender in the 168-pound division.

McCumby (28-1, 21 KOs) isn't rated in The Ring’s top 10, but Pacheco claimed he is a more imposing opponent than Mbilli. The rugged McCumby, of Glendale, Arizona, gave former IBF super middleweight champ Caleb Plant some trouble in the first half of their fight, before Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) fought on the inside, took control and stopped McCumby in the ninth round September 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Oddsmakers anticipate Pacheco, a 20-1 favorite according to DraftKings, will win convincingly.

"In my opinion, Trevor McCumby is more dangerous than Mbilli, just because of the experience," Pacheco said. "He has had harder opposition on his resume. He's been in there with better fighters and I just feel like I've gotta keep building. I'm not a superstar yet. For me to go other places and do things like that, I have to be a superstar. I can't just go [to Canada] and be a 'B' side. I just felt it's not the right time in my career, at 24 years old. But definitely, after picking this win up.”