It was nearly the opposite for Caroline Veyre.

As she was climbing the amateur ranks, she watched Delfine Persoon's majority-decision loss against Katie Taylor during their first fight in June 2019. The back-and-forth nature of their high-paced lightweight title bout nearly made Veyre's decision for her on whether she'd turn to the paid ranks.

"I wasn't even thinking about turning pro," Veyre told The Ring. "I watched them and I was like, 'I don't want to turn pro. This is crazy, they're crazy.'"

More than six years later, she faces Persoon for the vacant junior lightweight world title Tuesday in the co-main event of a Salita Promotions card at GLC Live in Grand Rapids, Michigan screened on DAZN.

"Now, I feel like it's completely different, and I'm a completely different boxer too," Veyre reflected. "I feel like I'm fully mature as a fighter and have all the tools to beat her. It's how I feel, but never thought in my life I would get there [to this point]. I went through a lot of things, difficult times too, but I'm just so proud of my journey."

Veyre (10-1) and Persoon (50-3, 20 KOs) will be contesting the title that unified Ring, IBF, WBA and WBO champion Alycia Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KOs) vacated in September 2025.

Since being outpointed over 10 rounds by Mexico's seasoned Joana Chavarria Lopez in Sept. 2024, Montreal's Veyre has won three straight fights. She was a comfortable decision winner over former title challenger Licia Boudersa (24-4-2, 4 KOs) on July 26 as part of the Claressa Shields-Lani Daniels undercard.

"The last three fights really helped me build momentum, and I gained confidence," Veyre said. "I applied a lot of things we improved in the gym. I'm ready for this challenge, and had a very good progression towards this goal."

Persoon, four years her senior at 41, has been a professional since 2009. Veyre by contrast, made the jump from a lengthy amateur stint in 2022. The Belgian pressure fighter's only defeat besides two against Taylor came in 2010, when stopped in round four by unheralded compatriot Zelda Tekin.

Persoon, who held the WBC lightweight title from 2014-19 and boasted a 34-fight winning streak before Taylor's disputed win over her at Madison Square Garden, last scored a sixth-round stoppage of Ana Maria Lozano in June.

"The most difficult part of fighting a girl like her is staying composed, making the right decision and not making any mistakes," Veyre said. "With the pressure and fatigue, you lose focus, and it's when you get vulnerable.

"This camp was a lot about precision, every detail counts. At this level, the margin is small. So every round, every drill, every sparring day, has a purpose and I think that's what makes the difference at this level. It's really about problem-solving and composure."

Veyre first got into kickboxing at 17 before making the transition to boxing. That change helped her find herself and overcome the challenges she faced in her life.

20 years later, she's arrived at her first world title shot, something she never believed was possible when first taking up the sport.

"It's like a celebration of all the hard work I've put in since the beginning," Veyre added. "I never stopped believing in myself. 20 years of dedication and hard work, it will be just amazing and I feel like this is my time now. I'm ready for this."