Claressa Shields Gives Cris Cyborg’s Boxing A Seven

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Claressa Shields, a two-time Olympic champion for boxing, gave her thoughts on the boxing ability of UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg Justino. The two met through social media and even sparred once. Here are highlights:

On training with Cyborg: “She learned a lot that day. She’s very athletic. I mean, 1 through 10, her boxing skills are at a 7. She’s very athletic. She’s strong. And if she puts 100 percent into boxing, to actually learn it, she’s going to have an easy transition over to boxing.”

On if Shields will ever join MMA: “I’m going to try to stick to boxing as long as I can. As long as I can make a million dollars.”

On Cyborg’s personality: “I think when you’re boxing, you have an alter ego. And I think her alter ego speaks. On social media, she’s Cris Cyborg, the beast. But then off social media, she’s Cris cool, laid-back, funny. Nothing really gets to her outside the ring.”

Me and @criscyborg sparring a small clip ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/PDYwhOEtDJ

— ClaressaT-rexShields (@Claressashields) June 25, 2017