David Benavidez claims he was offered a fight with Terence Crawford by HE Turki Alalshikh before the Israil Madrimov bout was made.
However, the proposed weight was a step too far for Benavidez and a fight between Crawford and Madrimov for the Uzbek's WBA super-welterweight world title was put together for August 3 in Los Angeles instead.
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"He [Alalshikh] did mention one fighter, he wanted me to go down to 160lbs (middleweight) to fight Terence Crawford," Benavidez revealed to Sean Zittel about his conversation with the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.
"I was like ,'Bro, I can't do that'. I mean if I could be able to make 160lbs that would have been amazing, but I can't.
"I can't remember the last time I weighed 160lbs."
Benavidez has never competed below super-middleweight (168lbs) as a professional and walks around at 205lbs so it is unlikely he will ever be able to drop as low as 160lbs.
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In his next outing, 'The Monster' is jumping up to light-heavyweight (175lbs) to face Oleksandr Gvozdyk in a WBC final eliminator on June 15 - the same bill as Gervonta Davis vs Frank Martin.
Providing he wins that fight he will be in a primed position to face whoever emerges victorious from the 175lbs undisputed fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev on June 1.
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Meanwhile, he is also Canelo Alvarez's mandatory at 168lbs, so has plenty of options on the table should he get his hand raised in the summer.
Benavidez moved up in weight after growing tired of waiting for his shot at Canelo.
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The undisputed super-middleweight king, who squares off against Jaime Munguia on May 4, has shown little interest in facing Benavidez.
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Canelo insists Benavidez has 'nothing to offer him' and has made it clear that he will not box the surging contender unless he receives a guaranteed purse of between $150million and $200million.
His staggering demand far exceeds his biggest-ever payday and prompted a furious response from Benavidez.
"If I have nothing to offer then why are you demanding $150million-$200million to fight someone who isn't worth anything?" he wrote on Instagram last month.
"Hopefully after you make that $150million you have enough left over to buy a pair of nuts."
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