With just over three weeks remaining for the mega-money clash between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas, the Irish fighter continues to improve his boxing skills with the assistance of American Paulie Malignaggi.
The 36-year-old two-weight champion has been sparring with Notorious and things started to get pretty heated between the pair in only their second session.
Having only shared the ring twice with McGregor, Malignaggi claims to have already noticed changes in the UFC lightweight champion's abilities in the squared circle.
Without delving into the specifics, the former professional boxer stated that there was a clear improvement in McGregor's game from their previous session.
"I think the intensity Conor's reaching is starting to show in the hard work he's put into camp," Malignaggi told ESPN.
"I think he's getting better and better. I really felt improvements from two weeks ago to now. I do see a guy who is implementing more and more of what they want to do in their game plan."
Malignaggi shed further light on the slightly tense nature of the second sparring session which consisted of 12 rounds of action.
The Brooklyn resident went on to describe the less than friendly environment when he arrived in Nevada for the second round of training.
"Lot of violence," Malignaggi added. "I went in there to prove a point. I didn't like the fact I had to fly across the country on Monday, and they have me scheduled for 12 [rounds] on Tuesday. I thought it was a little bit of a setup.
"Usually all sparring is private. I show up at the UFC headquarters and [former owner, Lorenzo] Fertitta is there. [UFC president] Dana White is there.
"So, I'm thinking these guys are thinking they'll catch me right off the flight, set me up for him to look good in front of his audience. I didn't like that. I kind of went in with a chip on my shoulder."
Despite the rough nature of these sessions, Malignaggi had anticipated the competitiveness especially when two world champions enter the same ring.
The American's description of the fierce atmosphere in the ring was echoed by veteran boxing official, Joe Cortez, who was hired by McGregor's camp to take charge of the sparring sessions.
Malignaggi further added: "Conor wants his presence to be felt. He's coming to win, right?"
"He wants you to know you're in a fight. He doesn't want you to think it's a picnic. So, any time he's in the ring, he's trying to make it as rough as possible -- be it roughhouse tactics, be it trying to land hard shots.
"There was a pushdown yesterday. Conor on the inside, he can get a little rough. He shoved me down, you know, but no knockdowns. Obviously, 12 rounds, you're gonna see there's a mark on my face.
"Very, very hard work for both of us. I was starting to get in a groove in the middle rounds, starting to land some good shots. Conor really came on strong in the end. It was back and forth."
Despite technically being on the same side, Malignaggi and McGregor haven't quite gelled as teammates.
He concluded: "We're like, I think the gist from Conor is we're like 'frenemies.' I think somewhere in the middle.
"I don't think we're going to be best friends any time soon, but there was a lot more mutual respect after that kind of work last night," Malignaggi said. "It was a lot more intense than the first one."