Claressa Shields was the talk of the MMA world when footage was posted online of her sparring UFC featherweight contender, Cris Cyborg.

Three days after the footage emerged, the double Olympic gold medalist was scheduled for her first world title fight on Aug. 4 against unbeaten super middleweight champion, Nikki Adler. Despite only contesting three professional bouts thus far, the 22-year-old has been able to fast-track her way to the WBC and vacant IBF title on the back of a stellar amateur career that saw her beaten just once in 79 outings.

The disparity in punching prowess between MMA proponents and boxers is under the microscope more than ever with Floyd Mayweather’s meeting with Conor McGregor looming. Many have questioned whether the Irishman’s infamous knockout power will translate to boxing. According to Shields, even though she competes over 20 pounds heavier than Cyborg, the Brazilian knockout artist’s power was evident from the rounds they shared in Las Vegas. However, Shields stressed that the real test is maintaining that strength over 12 rounds.

“She’s physically strong, you know?” Shields told MMA Fighting.

“We decided together before what we were going to put out on social media. There are two videos out at the moment. One of them is a full round of sparring and the other is a highlight that Cris put together of both of our good moments during our session.

“Everybody likes to see action. We sparred at a pretty high pace and I think that made it a good watch for everyone. Cris is strong, but it’s really about how much time she has spent purely boxing.

“Cecilia Braekhus is the number one pound for pound women’s boxer at the moment at 147 pounds,” Shields added. “Cris may be stronger than her, but when you have to be strong for twelve rounds, that’s where the big differences in skill are going to show up.

“The jab isn’t as established as you see in the pro ranks, and the combinations too. If Cris worked on both of those things she could transition to boxing very well. I really believe that.”