The vacant WBC junior lightweight title fight between Caroline Veyre and Delfine Persoon is now official for January 22, according to Veyre’s social media account.
BoxingScene previously reported that Veyre’s promoter, Dmitriy Salita of Salita Promotions, was eyeing potential dates in the first two months of 2026. Veyre vs. Persoon will be held at GLC Live at 20 Monroe, a concert hall in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The WBC belt previously belonged to then-undisputed champion Alycia Baumgardner, who parted ways with it in September.
Veyre, 10-1 (0 KOs), is a 37-year-old from Montreal, Canada. She is ranked second at 130lbs by the WBC. Veyre has never competed at junior lightweight; all of her previous outings were within the featherweight limit. She lost a unanimous decision in September 2024 to the 6-5-1 Joana Chavarria Lopez but has won three straight since, including a wide decision in July over the 24-3-2 Licia Boudersa.
Persoon, 50-3 (20 KOs), is a 40-year-old former lightweight titleholder from Belgium. She is ranked first at 130lbs by the WBC. In her time at 135, Persoon picked up the vacant IBF title in 2012 but never defended it. She then captured the WBC belt in 2014 by outpointing Erica Anabella Farias. Persoon successfully defended that title nine times before losing a debated, razor-thin majority decision to Katie Taylor in a 2019 fight for the undisputed championship. Taylor-Persoon II took place in 2020 and ended with a unanimous verdict for the Irish star.
Persoon has had six wins – including a 2023 split decision over Bo Mi Re Shin – and two injury-shortened no-contests since. Persoon was dropped early by Baumgardner in their September 2024 match, but it was a clash of heads in the fourth that brought the fight to a finish. In her most recent appearance, Persoon won a sixth-round TKO in June against the 25-15-1 Ana Maria Lozano.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
