That is among the reasons he dismissed fighting at heavyweight anytime soon after knocking out Gilberto Ramirez in the sixth round at T-Mobile Arena.

Benavidez had expressed interest in competing above 200 pounds, but it isn’t imminent because there are historically significant, lucrative opportunities available at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, the divisions in which he holds titles.

“You guys keep asking me about heavyweight,” Benavidez said during his post-fight press conference. “Stop that. I’m not going up to heavyweight.”

Benavidez, 29, weighed in at a career-high 196.8 pounds Friday for his shot at Ramirez’s WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. Ramirez, 34, came in at 200, the cruiserweight maximum.

The left-handed Ramirez’s height and weight advantages were nullified by Benavidez’s significant speed edge, crisp combination punching and IQ in a fight the unbeaten WBC light heavyweight champ completely controlled. Benavidez’s brutal assaults forced Ramirez to take a knee in the fourth round and again in the sixth, when his right eye was swollen shut.

Becoming the first fighter to knock out Mexico’s Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs) still didn’t distort Benavidez’s view of facing even bigger and stronger opponents in the heavyweight division.

“It was hard for me to come up to 200,” he said. “At heavyweight, those guys are super big. But I won’t rule it out – maybe in five years my body grows into heavyweight. … but when my body grows into heavyweight we could definitely go up there in five years. That’s possible.

“But just for right now, I’m more interested [in moving down]. I’m still interested in going back to the light heavyweight division because I wanted to become a reigning, defending champion for years and years. Just like how Sergey Kovalev was champion for I don’t know much title defenses. That’s really what I wanna do.”

The 6-foot-1 Benavidez believes moving up to heavyweight, even just temporarily, would prohibit him from remaining physically able to squeeze back down to light heavyweight, where the two-time WBC super middleweight titleholder wants to challenge unified champ Dmitry Bivol in his next bout.

The fifth-ranked Benavidez (32-0, 26 KOs) surpassed the inactive Bivol by one spot on The Ring’s newest pound-for-pound list, but it’s much more important for the Phoenix native’s legacy to become undisputed light heavyweight champ.

Russia’s Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) is scheduled to fight for the first time in 15 months May 30, when he’ll make a mandated defense of his IBF belt against German underdog Michael Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs) at UMMC Arena in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

“I think if I go up to heavyweight I could completely forget about light heavyweight,” Benavidez said.

“Right now I’m champion at light heavyweight and cruiserweight, and I feel like I can balance both weight classes. I feel like I can have a defense here at cruiserweight, then go back down and have a defense at light heavyweight. If I go up to heavyweight, then it’s just forget about both weight classes, to be honest with you.”