Claressa Shields believes that her MMA experience is improving her as a boxer.
Shields is the undisputed middleweight champion in the boxing ring, and has one win and one defeat in her nascent MMA career.
She fights in the PFL this Saturday (check your region for the PFL vs. Bellator event live on DAZN.com), and she told Sky Sports that MMA fighters can draw on and improve their boxing skills in the discipline.
"I say that [Joshua-Ngannou will be close] because of how competitive he was against Tyson Fury. Tyson Fury didn't take the fight seriously. I think that us boxers have this mental thing where we feel like MMA fighters don't have good boxing," she said.
"But Francis is one of those fighters who does mostly stand up when he fights. So he has a pretty good boxing background, pretty good stand up.
"But us as boxers don't really take that seriously coming from an MMA fighter.
"I feel like if Tyson had done his homework he would have seen, okay, this guy can definitely be a challenge."
She explained what MMA offers her own boxing qualities, adding: "I feel like I'm great without it. I think it makes me greater and it makes me a better fighter overall. I feel like MMA has added some more knowledge of boxing for me. How they punch, the angles and stuff like that, I can still use that in boxing," she said.
"I can still use some of the footwork to set up shots and I know I can hit them from a distance they can't hit me from. It kind of gives me a higher IQ. It definitely adds but it's just two different sports for sure.
"I'm still getting better as a fighter because I never settle on my last performance. I make all my performances better and that's why none of these girls can keep up. You're not getting the Claressa you've seen fight against Savannah Marshall," she said.
"When I come back to boxing, people think I looked good against Savannah Marshall and against Maricela Cornejo, oh just wait till I come back, I'm going to be better than that. I've gotten better after every fight.
"I have skill, I have power. I'm just the greatest of all time."
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