Caroline Veyre is now the WBC women’s junior lightweight titleholder.
The first career title win for the former amateur standout, however, was not pretty to watch.
Montreal’s Veyre outpointed former long reigning WBC lightweight titlist Delfine Persoon in their DAZN-aired co-feature Tuesday, presented by Salita Promotions from GLC Live at 20 Monroe in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Scores were 94-92, 95-91 and 99-88 for Veyre in a fight where both boxers were deducted two points each for assorted fouls.
Simply put, the fight was ugly.
Veyre, 37, troubled Persoon with her hand speed, but clinches were the story of the fight. Persoon, a pressure fighter, looked to come forward and engage Veyre, who fought her entire career at featherweight. Persoon made the bout a physical fight, and it led to many clinches and awkward moments.
Then came the point deductions.
Persoon, 41, lost a point for punching to the back of the head in round four. That occurred during a clinch. Persoon began to show frustration. Persoon would exaggerate, showing she was not holding in the clinch and engaged with the referee.
Veyre would lose a point in round five for holding. Persoon suffered another deduction in the seventh round for punching to the back of the head. It was Veyre’s turn for her second infraction, for holding in round nine.
The action never flowed as it was a muddied affair. Veyre might have won the fight, but was booed by the crowd during the reading of the scores and during her post-fight interview. The bout was for the vacant WBC title after Alycia Baumgardner vacated the title.
Veyre improved to 11-1 as she follows the motto of win today and look good tomorrow.
Persoon fell to 50-4 (20 KOs) and - at 41 and well past her prime - is less certain about her next “tomorrow” to look good.
Junior lightweight Garrett Rice Jnr of Flint, Michigan, won a four-round unanimous decision over Charles Scott Jnr of Corpus Christi. The three scores were 40-36.
Rice, 24, improved to 2-0 (1 KO), and the 28-year-old Scott remains winless as a pro, falling to 0-3. Scott fought at a career-low weight, having fought at junior welterweight and junior middleweight in his prior bouts.
In the heavyweight opener, Sardius Simmons of Flint won a six-round unanimous decision over Jonathan Rice of Cleburne, Texas. The scores were 58-56, 58-56, and 59-55.
Simmons, 32, with the win improved to 6-0 (3 KOs), and the 28-year-old Rice fell to 5-4 (3 KOs).
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
