BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Welterweight up-and-comer Sammy Vasquez is not foolish enough to look past a quality opponent in Felix Diaz, a contender in his own right and an Olympic gold medalist for the Dominican Republic in 2008.

However, that does not mean that Vasquez does not have his eye on the bigger prize should he defeat fellow southpaw Diaz when they meet in the scheduled 10-round co-feature of the Premier Boxing Champions card headlined by the Deontay Wilder-Chris Arreola heavyweight world title fight on Saturday (Fox, 8 p.m. ET) at Legacy Arena.

“I need wins like this to get fights with [world titleholders] Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman and I need to do it decisively,” Vasquez said at Thursday’s final news conference. “If I can get this win I definitely want Danny Garcia. He’s a Philadelphia guy. I’m from Pittsburgh. It’d be a fun matchup. We’re both marketable guys and I think it’d be a huge fight.

“I just want to fight the best. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll fight anybody. I want to get a world title.”

Vasquez (21-0, 15 KOs), 30, who served two tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the U.S. National Guard, was originally supposed to face former welterweight world titleholder Luis Collazo, but he suffered a torn calf muscle in training two weeks ago. So Vasquez wound up with what looks like a tougher fight when Diaz, who was training for another PBC bout, was moved to Saturday’s card to replace Collazo.

Although Diaz (17-1, 8 KOs) is coming off a majority decision loss to former junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson in October, many thought Diaz deserved the decision. Count Vasquez as one of them.

“Me and Felix Diaz are both coming to bring it. It’s going to be a tough fight for him and myself. People have to watch this fight,”” Vasquez said. “To me he’s undefeated and I’m coming in undefeated. We’re putting it all on the line in this fight.

“Felix and I have worked together [in the gym] and we’re friends, but this is business. He knows that I’m going to bring it like I do every fight. It’s a great opportunity to be showcased on this card. If you feel that you’re the best in your weight division, then it doesn’t matter who they put in front of you. My opponent doesn’t matter; we’re going to get the job done. I have to fight quality opponents to be able to step up to the next guy.”

Diaz, 32, knows a win can put him right back into contention following the loss to Peterson.

“It was a very close fight and I really felt I came out on top,” Diaz said. “When you’re undefeated and lose for the first time, you want nothing more than to get back in the ring and prove to everyone that you belong with the elite fighters in the division. I’ve been training in the gym like an animal, waiting for an opportunity like this to come my way. Now that it’s here, I’m going to take full advantage of the situation.

“This is a big fight for me. Sammy Vasquez is a highly rated fighter. A win against him will put me right up there with all the other contenders. I live for these occasions. He’s a very smart fighter with good power. Although he does a lot of things right in the ring, I see some flaws in his style that I know I can expose. I believe my style will give him a lot of trouble. I know he wants to keep his undefeated record intact but my hunger to start another winning streak is greater.”