David Benavidez is solidifying his status in the sport as a light heavyweight lynchpin.

He’ll get to further prove his case when he defends his WBC title against Anthony Yarde in the main event of “The Ring IV” show November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) – a former two-time super middleweight champ – left the division last year after failing to land a fight against Canelo Alvarez.

Alvarez recently lost The Ring, IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts to Terence Crawford, but that development doesn’t excite Benavidez enough to make an arduous weight cut and move back down to face Crawford.

“To be honest with you, let Terence Crawford live. That’s his weight class,” Benavidez said on “Inside The Ring,” available on DAZN and The Ring’s YouTube channel. “I lost interest in 168 pounds a long time ago. I know we can get offered a lot of money to go down to 168, I’m more comfortable at 175. I’m chasing Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, and these other big guys, Zurdo Ramirez at cruiserweight.”

Benavidez’s campaign as a light heavyweight officially kicked off 15 months ago and he’s already beaten Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell. Like most of the boxing world, Benavidez was an interested observer in the super fight between Alvarez and Crawford – a clash he envisioned Crawford winning.

“I want to give a great congratulations to Terence Crawford,” said Benavidez, who is featured on the cover of the October issue of The Ring. “He’s reached a part of history that fighters don’t even get the chance to accomplish. He’s one of the greats of all time and you can’t take that away from him. Terence Crawford should be on the Mount Rushmore of boxing.

“He beat one of the best fighters of his generation, moving up [two] weight classes for the undisputed title. ... You saw in the fight how much of a dog he is. A lot of fighters can take note of Terence Crawford, not only physically but of his heart, too. I give it up to him and salute him.”