Two-time Olympic boxing gold medalist Clarissa Shields has given her assessment of Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino’s boxing abilities after having sparred with the UFC featherweight champion in recent times.
“She’s very athletic,” Shields told MMAJunkie when asked to assess the Brazilian star. “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.”
Shields also gave her opinion on how ‘Cyborg’ is likely to fare against former boxing champion turned MMA star Holly Holm in the main event of UFC 219 on December 30th.
“One, she’s got to catch (Holm),” Shields said. “Holly Holm is a great mover. She has a really good jab. Some head movement and then, whenever she can, slam her a couple of times, take some of the wind out of her. And then, after that, throw hands. And I think that Cris Cyborg is really good at throwing hands.
“She’s strong, she’s fast, and she’s very physical. So I think that she needs to keep it physical with Holly, not let Holly keep it pretty. And she’ll have a victorious night on Dec. 30.”
