With the release of the latest biopic from Black Bear Pictures, titled Christy, we see actress Sydney Sweeney playing the role of the titular character, Christy Martin, who is one of the biggest names in women’s combat sports.
But who is Christy Martin in real life, and what’s her real-life story? We have compiled all the facts and figures about the sportswoman who revolutionised the world of female sports and other aspects of society as well.
The Inspirational Life Story of Christy Martin, Explained
While the tradition of female boxing may have started in the 1700s, one of the first trailblazing names in the sport was Christy Martin. Being the daughter of a coal miner from a small town in West Virginia, she was once preparing to be a teacher. However, winning many Toughman competitions in a row from 1988 led her down a different path.
And in 1990, she was brought to Tennessee to be trained under her new coach, Jim Martin, who also became her abusive husband due to her being a lesbian who had to hide her sexuality. Professionally, she was doing tremendously, winning matches and making a name for herself.
But her biggest break came when Don King, who had worked with legends like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, signed her in 1993. And in 1996, in Las Vegas, Martin went up against Irish boxer Deirdre Gogarty, and as history remembers, she and Gogarty made Women’s Boxing famous with their brutal fight, where Martin came out on top.
Since then, she was revered as the face of women’s combat sports, getting featured on the cover page of Sports Illustrated as the only female boxer to ever do it. Outside the ring, too, she was making strides as a beacon of hope for people of the LGBTQ+ community, coming out of the closet with her sexuality in 2010, after Jim Martin tried to kill her.
Even today, after that horrific accident, Martin still believes in what she stands for and continues to advocate for the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Sydney Sweeney Revealed How She Was Fighting for Real in Christy
While it may be a dramatic recreation of the events that transpired in Martin’s life over the years, Sydney Sweeney took the combat aspect of it extremely seriously. Therefore, in an interview with Vanity Fair, Sweeney revealed she would fight for real, throwing real punches to sell the impact of the sport. She said:
Every single fight you see, we are actually punching each other. We are going full force. I always believed that you would not be able to make it feel real if it’s a stunt double or if it’s faking the hits.
And with the reception that the film is getting from critics and audiences alike, it seems like her passion and dedication paid off big time. Additionally, the production did an amazing job of bringing to light the life of such an important part of female sports history.
Here are more details on Christy.
Have you watched Christy yet? Tell us in the comments below
Christy is now screening in cinemas.
