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The boxing ring has been well-worn cinematic territory over the years, from Raging Bull to Rocky, from Million Dollar Baby to Creed. And now another big-screen fighter is lacing up their gloves and entering the ring: Emmy nominee Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus) as Christy Martin, a pioneering female boxer who helped legitimize women’s boxing on a national stage. The Anyone But You starlet will try to right-hook her way into Oscars consideration with her transformative lead performance in Christy, an upcoming biopic chronicling Martin’s rise to becoming America’s most well-known female boxer in the 1990s, as well as the domestic abuse she was battling at home. “I was blown away that her story wasn’t more known on a universal, global level because it’s just one of the most harrowing and inspiring women that I’ve ever met in my entire life,” Sweeney told Vanity Fair in a September 2025 profile. Ahead of the November 7 release of the film — which was directed by David Michôd (The King, The Rover) and written by Michôd and Mirrah Foulkes — here’s everything to know about Christy Martin, the subject of Sydney Sweeney’s new boxing biopic Christy. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Is the Christy movie a true story? Yes, the biographical drama Christy is inspired by real-life professional boxer Christy Martin, portrayed by actress Sydney Sweeney. The biopic spans Martin’s rise as a trailblazing female athlete in the male-dominated world of boxing in the 1990s, as well as the numerous personal struggles she faced during her career, including a brutal assault by her husband-slash-manager in 2010. “Christy Martin never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia — until she discovered a knack for punching people. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim,” reads the film’s official logline. “But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it — confronting family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death. Based on remarkable true events, Christy Martin’s story is one of resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life.” Oops! We’re unable to load this content right now. View directly on Instagram Known by fans as “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” — in reference to her father’s occupation in her hometown of Mullens, West Virginia — Martin’s boxing career ran from 1989 to 2012. Among her many achievements: She became the first female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated in April 1996; she was the first female boxer elected to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016; and she later was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020. A documentary about her life, Untold: Deal With the Devil, was released by Netflix in 2021. Many real personalities from Christy Martin’s life are portrayed in the new biopic, including her coach-turned-husband Jim Martin (played by Ben Foster), her parents Joyce and John Salters (Merritt Wever and Ethan Embrey, respectively) and her biggest boxing adversary Lisa Holewyne (Love Lies Bleeding star Katy O’Brian). Related: Iconic Hollywood Starlet, 92, Pushes Back on Biopic About Famous Romance How many fights did Christy Martin lose? Over her boxing career, Christy Martin holds a record of 49 wins, seven losses and three draws, with 32 wins by knockout, the most of any female boxer. Her notable defeats include fights against Sumya Anani (in 1998), Laila Ali (in 2003) and Holly Holm (in 2005). Oops! We’re unable to load this content right now. View directly on Instagram When did Christy Martin retire from boxing? Martin retired from professional boxing in August 2012 at the age of 44; she lost her final fight to Mia St. John in a 10-round unanimous decision. Her retirement announcement came after several significant injuries sustained in 2011, including a broken hand and a damaged rib. Related: ‘I Play Rocky’ Tells the Story of Sylvester Stallone’s Rise to Glory Please note that the following contains subject matter that is highly disturbing and potentially triggering for survivors of domestic abuse and violence. What happened to Christy Martin? On November 23, 2010, Christy Martin was severely beaten, stabbed and shot by her husband James “Jim” Martin at their Apopka, Florida home; the couple had reportedly been arguing after Martin announced that she wanted a divorce from her spouse and former boxing couch, to whom she had been married since 1991. Thankfully, Christy survived the horrific attack by playing dead, giving her an opportunity to escape the home and seek medical attention at a nearby hospital. In 2012, Jim Martin was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for attempted second-degree murder with a firearm. It was not the first instance of physical abuse during their relationship, which Martin detailed in her 2022 memoir Fighting for Survival: My Journey through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection. In the book, Martin alleged that her husband — who was 25 years her senior — got her hooked on cocaine, used her prize money for extravagant purchases and blackmailed Christy that he would reveal the truth of her closeted homosexuality. Who is Christy Martin married to now? Following her divorce from Jim Martin, Christy reconnected with a former ring rival, Lisa Holewyne; they would go on to marry in November 2017. “We fought each other in 2001. She’s a world champion. She was inducted into the Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame. So we met and then we spared a couple of times, and she was sort of in my circle of people, one of the adjacent friends,” Martin revealed in a June 2022 interview with The Guardian. “And a few months after everything happened, and the trial with Jim, she started to call and check on me. And then she came to one of my fights that I was promoting in Charlotte and we’ve been together since.” Oops! We’re unable to load this content right now. View directly on Instagram Where is Christy Martin now? Along with being the subject of a major motion picture, Christy Martin is currently a boxing analyst, motivational speaker and CEO of her own company, Christy Martin Promotions. She is also a public advocate for domestic violence survivors and their children through her nonprofit, Christy’s Champs. She currently lives in Central Florida, where she has plans to open a training center early next year to train both pro and amateur fighters and offer domestic abuse programs, as reported by The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Related: Secrets Will Be Exposed in ‘The Housemaid’: What to Know About the Sydney Sweeney-Amanda Seyfried Movie Oops! We’re unable to load this content right now. View directly on Instagram Did Sydney Sweeney gain weight to play Christy Martin? Yes, as part of a rigorous physical training and nutritional plan, actress Sydney Sweeney gained 30 to 35 pounds to play the role of professional boxer Christy Martin for the film Christy. “I felt very strong and powerful,” the 28-year-old star told Vanity Fair. “I loved it. Being able to lose myself to become a vessel for somebody else is my dream.” Sweeney had trained in jujitsu, grappling and kickboxing as a teenager but underwent three months of intense boxing training before filming kicked off. That authenticity is felt throughout those in-the-ring sequences: “Every single fight you see, we are actually punching each other. We are going full force,” she shared to the outlet. “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.”
