By Luis Sandoval

Lamont Peterson is set to make his 2014 debut on January 25th when he takes on undefeated Dierry Jean in his hometown of Washington, DC as he looks to bounce back from his loss to Lucas Matthysse this past May. Peterson still holds his IBF Junior Welterweight belt and will be defending it for the second time.

Lamont is not taking his opponent lightly and has been working hard to get himself prepared and back on track. There have been talks that the winner of this fight has a chance to maybe face Junior Welterweight kingpin Danny Garcia who holds the WBC and WBA titles.

While Peterson made it clear he’s not looking ahead, he was asked what he thought about a fight with him and Garcia should he be victorious.

“Of course it’s a fight that interests me; he’s holding two of the titles at the weight class and he’s considered to be the best fighter at the weight class. Of course getting a shot at that crown is very important because the reason why I stay at the weight class is because I want to be the number one fighter before I move up. So me getting that fight next [means] the sooner I can fight him, the sooner I can move up to 147 pounds” Peterson would tell BoxingScene.

The 140 pound landscape has definitely cleared up some as most fighters have headed north to the Welterweight division which houses a long list of top names including pound for pound king Floyd Mayweather. Peterson is indeed looking forward to moving up but also feels his body will let him know when it’s finally time.

“As long as my body can handle the weight at 140 then I’ll stay. But the minute I feel like I can’t make it anymore, I’ll move up. But honestly in my mind, I really want to move up to 147 pounds at this point” revealed Peterson.

For Peterson, a showdown and victory over Garcia would be the perfect send off for him to enter a new division. When asked for his thoughts on Garcia as a fighter, Peterson had nothing but good things to say and is optimistic he can get a chance at the junior welterweight crown.

“My thoughts on Danny Garcia are he’s a really good fighter. He’s proven himself over and over again. He’s a strong fighter and takes a good punch. He shows up every night and every time he has a fight he shows up and he wins. So I got a lot of respect for him and hopefully one day we can fight” said Peterson.

Before any plans can be made, Peterson must first handle his next assignment and he is 100% focused on the task at hand.

You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter & Instagram @Truewest007.