Kasha Chamblin's last two featured bouts have been learning experiences.

Lafayette's "Fighting Marine" hopes she can take that education and turn it into a degree - and a belt - this weekend.

So does Chamblin, who lost by an eighth-round TKO to German champion Ina Menzer last December in Berlin, a WIBF world featherweight title bout in only her ninth pro outing and her 10th bout of any kind, amateur and professional.

"When I look at footage from the Menzer fight, I can't believe it," Chamblin said. "I've never fought like that. I was so awkward. I don't know why. I know I'm better than that. I'd love to be in a ring with her again ... in a title fight, in the gym, out behind a building somewhere.

"But it was an experience for me. I think I learned more about myself in that fight than any other fight."

She used what she learned in August at Blackham Coliseum when she pounded out a unanimous win over world-ranked Donna Biggers in an eight-round non-title bout. Chamblin won every round on all three judges' cards over a fighter who won a world title in 2005 and has been in seven world title bouts.

"I think I learned to trust myself in that fight," Chamblin said. "In the past, Beau (trainer/manager Beau Williford) had backed off in training, and I kept saying there has to be something else I need to work on and I didn't accept that. That time I accepted it. When they said to relax, I relaxed, and I felt relaxed throughout that fight."

Chamblin never stopped training after the Aug. 25 win since talk began circulating almost immediately of a bigger fight down the road. Mickey Daigle of Keeppunching.com and promoter of Saturday's five-bout "Thunder and Lightning" card - the first female promoter in the South to stage a casino-based female world title bout - and Williford worked together to set up Louisiana's second-ever women's world title fight.

"Because of the shape I was in from the Biggers fight, I didn't have to worry about that," Chamblin said. "I could concentrate on the technical part of things. Because of that training, I could work longer and learn more."

Over the last month, Chamblin worked her way up to 17 three-minute rounds of sparring in training (Saturday's 10-rounder will be two-minute rounds) - almost all against men heavier than her. Among those partners has been Lafayette's Jason Papillion, former NABF light middleweight champion and a veteran of 53 pro fights.

"Beau usually puts a fresh guy in for the last two or three rounds, so usually for three minutes straight it's just a barrage of punches," Chamblin said. "That'll help me have that extra reserve for a 10-rounder. I worked a lot on head movement and footwork.

"With Jason, he's so talented and so experienced, just landing a punch on him is difficult. He has to pull some of the things he throws because he's heavier than me, but he's been showing me a lot. I told him don't teach me to beat her, teach me to beat you because if I can do that I can beat anybody, and he started stepping it up and punching harder."

Having that kind of work will help against Velez, who has held three world titles including three defenses of the WIBA world bantamweight title. She "retired" after a 10-round split-decision loss to Denmark's Anita Christensen for the WIBA and WIBF bantamweight belts, but returned in 2007 and has split two bouts since then.

"She wants to come back and finish off her career as a champion," Chamblin said. "She's coming back from a tough loss overseas, basically one that was stolen from her, so she wants to get in there and do some damage. I'm a fan of hers ... if I get through this one, I'd like to go after the girl that did that to her."