By Dan Ambrose: WBA/WBC light welterweight champion Danny Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs) says his body has matured and it’s time for him to move up in weight to make more money in the welterweight division. Garcia, 27, may have defended his titles for the last time last year when he defeated Mauricio Herrera by a controversial 12 round decision in Puerto Rico.

This Saturday night, Garcia will be fighting a catch-weight fight at 143 pounds against IBF belt holder Lamont Peterson (33-2-1, 17 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

“I’m growing into my prime,” Garcia said via Fightnews.com. “My body’s getting bigger. It’s time for me to go up in weight.”

Some boxing fans might say that Garcia’s body was already big enough for him to move up to the welterweight division three years ago, because he’s always been a fighter who has rehydrated up in weight after making the 140 pound division.

The fact that he was able to get away with melting down to 140 was more of a youth thing. The younger fighters are good at melting down to fight at lower weights that aren’t suited towards their body. But when the fighters start getting older, it becomes tougher to keep doing that.

In explaining what his reasoning is for wanting to move up to 147, Garcia said “Fan friendly fights and more money.”

Garcia should have already moved up in weight because he probably would have gotten a fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr by now. Clearly though, Garcia needs to move up to welterweight right now if he wants to be in position to get a fight against Mayweather before he retires from the sport.

Fighting Manny Pacquiao is probably out of the question due to Garcia having Al Haymon as his manager, but the Mayweather is definitely a doable one for Garcia if he can move up in weight now.

Garcia and his father Angel Garcia have seemed indifferent when asked about a potential fight against Mayweather. They’ve come across like it wasn’t a big deal. If they don’t realize the kind of money that they can make from a Mayweather fight then someone needs to clue them into it. The money isn’t the only thing. It’s also the way a fight against Mayweather can potentially change a fighter’s career.

If Garcia was able to defeat Mayweather, it could have a positive result of making Garcia a more popular fighter. I don’t think he’s ever going to be a pay-per-view fighter like Mayweather, Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto or Oscar De La Hoya, but Garcia can still win over a lot of fans if he faces Mayweather. As long as Garcia doesn’t wind up looking really bad like Victor Ortiz did in his fight with Mayweather, it should help Garcia’s career to face Mayweather.

A loss for Garcia on Saturday against Peterson would be a big blow to his career. There would obviously be no fight against Mayweather for Garcia if that happens. Garcia could still move up in weight to 147, but I don’t know that things would get better for him.