CLARESSA SHIELDS said Floyd Mayweather will fly over to be at her next fight in Wales.
The two-weight undisputed women’s champion returns to the ring on February 5 against Ema Kozin.
Headlining that night in Cardiff is Chris Eubank Jr, 32, in a grudge match against middleweight rival Liam Williams, 29.
Ahead of the event, Shields, 25, held an open workout in Mayweather’s Las Vegas gym and was even given some pointers by the boxing legend.
She told Sky Sports: “Training with Floyd Mayweather has pushed my confidence even higher.
“He’s very fond of my skills and my power and he said he’s going to fly to the UK to watch this fight. So I’m definitely looking to put on a great show.
“If I had to use one word for this camp, it would be: uncomfortable. I made sure that I got out of my comfort zone for this fight.
“I’m making sure that I have all my tools and going to the Mayweather Boxing Club has really sharpened those tools.”
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Mayweather, 44, was last in Britain to watch Anthony Joshua, 32, knock out Kubrat Pulev, 40, in December 2020.
The retired American, in talks for an exhibition in Dubai with 20-year-old YouTuber ‘Money Kicks’, is currently coached by Gerald Tucker.
Tucker has also worked with Adrien Broner, 32, ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley, 39, and served as Shields’ assistant trainer ahead of her return.
And he drew parallels between all four of the fighting stars, considered masters in their craft.
Tucker told SunSport: “Everyone I work with is elite; Floyd is considered one of, if not the best ever, AB is the youngest four-division champion in boxing history.
Training with Floyd Mayweather has pushed my confidence even higher. He’s very fond of my skills and my power and he said he’s going to fly to the UK to watch this fight.
Claressa Shields
“Tyron, he’s a Hall of Fame welterweight from the UFC and Claressa is undisputed twice in two different divisions.
“She has two gold medals in the Olympics too. So what I recognise with all of them is their mentality is hard work comes first.
“People have different reasons for why they want it and they work hard in different ways, they’re competitive in different ways.
“I get to see the genius in all of them and they all remind me of each other.
“They’re willing to push their bodies past where the body wants to go, so it become spiritual.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk