Astonishing life of pioneering female boxer whose story inspired Sydney Sweeney’s new movie Black Bear
Sydney Sweeney has traded in her glamorous image for a bold new look as she films her new movie Black Bear.
The Euphoria star unveiled a messy brown hairdo and comfortable outfit for her role as trailblazing boxer Christy Salters-Martin in director David Michod’s upcoming biopic.
Christy’s remarkable story is as incredible as any of the heroines Sweeney has played.
She married her coach Jim Martin (played by Ben Foster in the film), who subsequently abused the female boxer.
Christy’s compelling story made headlines in 2010 when her controlling husband stabbed Christy repeatedly and shot her in the chest, nearly missing her heart.
He did this after she told him she was dating her female high school sweetheart, Sherry Lusk, and wanted a divorce.
Christy’s pink 9mm pistol was the weapon Martin used.
The prize fighter miraculously survived the assassination attempt. Jim Martin now serving a 25-year prison sentence in a Florida prison for second-degree attempted murder. His expected release date is 2035. He will be 91 years old.
Actress Sydney Sweeney unveiled a messy brown hairstyle and comfortable outfit for her role as legendary boxer Christy Martin in director David Michod’s upcoming film, Black Bear
Christy Martin pictured during her win for the WBC Women’s Lightweight Championship
Christy’s entry into the boxing world began in 1986 when friends challenged her to enter a Tough Woman match.
After winning the fight and earning $300 — $100 for each opponent she knocked out — she was hooked.
The young fighter would soon meet Jim Martin, her trainer who would later become her husband.
The couple married in 1991. Christy was 23 and Martin was 48. But signs of trouble were there from the start: In an interview she described their relationship as more of a business relationship than a romantic one.
Christy Martin was 22 when she met her trained husband, Jim Martin. The couple is pictured in New York City in March 1996
Professional women’s boxer Christy Martin prepares for a workout with her husband and trainer Jim Martin
A gritty and tenacious fighter, Christy was undefeated, winning 35 consecutive fights between 1989 and 2012. CBS Sports reported.
Don King, the legendary boxing promoter, recognized the young champion and signed her. He featured her at a Pay-Per-View event headlined by Mike Tyson. She became the first female boxer to work with King.
One of the highlights of her career was her victory over Deirdre Gogarty at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in the 1996 Tyson vs. Bruno II undercard.
That fight put women’s boxing on the map.
WBC and WBA women’s champion Christy Martin (left) is hit in the head by opponent Kathy Collins during their fight in New York on May 12, 2001. Martin retained her titles with a 10-round decision
Martin lifts Christy after knocking out challenger Melinda Robinson in the 4th round of the Female Pound-For Boxing Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden
Her celebrity grew.
She became the first female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was featured on the TV circuit of The Tonight Show.
The highlights kept coming, in 2009 she won the WBC women’s super welterweight title.
She retired from competing in 2012, but left her mark by winning 49 out of 59 fights.
Christy connects with a punch with her opponent Andrea DeShong during their WBC Women’s Lightweight Championship on June 28. She retained her title in the seventh round
Christy Martin celebrates her victory over Lisa Holewyne of Austin, Texas during the Woman’s Pound For Pound Championship at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, November 17, 2001. Martin won the fight by unanimous decision
Martin won the fight against Andrea DeShong for the WBC Women’s Lightweight Championship
However, life outside the ring was filled with stress and hardship.
Christy grew up in Mullens, West Virginia, and her father worked as a coal miner. Her nickname was ‘The Miner’s Daughter’.
When she told her family she was gay, she said they wouldn’t accept it. It was that rejection that led her to marry Jim Martin, she told CBS News.
‘I got a lot of pressure from my family… not to be gay. It just seemed like it was easy,” she said.
But she realized early in their marriage how homophobic her husband was.
“Jim used to tell me… at a press conference, when I was arguing with a girl who is obviously with her girlfriend, ‘Make sure you say something derogatory about her – sexuality,’” she revealed.
Christy pictured with her parents. She was the “miner’s daughter” since her father worked as a miner in West Virginia
During their turbulent relationship, he manipulated her and constantly threatened to expose the truth about her sexuality.
“Jim Martin convinced me that the world hated me. … I’m talking about family, friends, the boxing world,” she said.
“He always said, ‘I’m going to tell the world you’re a lesbian.’ And for whatever reason – you know, I just wasn’t strong enough in myself to say, ‘Go ahead…'” she said in part.
In 2007, Christy’s career hit rock bottom. Jim had brought cocaine home. Feeling hopeless, Christy began using while her husband cared for her addiction. But eventually she got clean and took back control.
During that dark time, she believed that Jim was making her withdrawals from the drugs that she believed would blackmail her.
In November 2010, she was ready to leave her toxic relationship. She told Jim that they wanted out of their marriage and that she was seeing her old high school flame, Sherry Lusk.
He wouldn’t accept it and it became violent.
“For 20 years he told me that if I ever left, he would kill me,” she recalls.
‘I stopped. I turned around. And I looked him straight in the eyes and told him, ‘Do what you gotta do,'” she said in part.
That was when Jim stabbed and shot Christy. Despite her serious injuries, she still managed to fight back.
Bleeding and battered, Good Samaritan Rick Cole saw her on the street and rushed her to the emergency room. She was flown to a nearby trauma center and survived the horrific attack.
The pink 9mm pistol Martin used when he opened fire on his wife, shooting her in the chest. There are traces of blood on the weapon
The knife Martin used when he repeatedly stabbed Christy
She was hospitalized with serious injuries sustained when Martin almost killed her, but miraculously survived
Jim Martin, who fled the scene and was on the run, was eventually found days later and taken into custody.
The case went to trial in April 2012 and Martin was found guilty of attempted murder in the second degree and sentenced to 25 years. Now 78, he is incarcerated at the Graceville Correctional Facility in Jackson County, Florida Basically sports.
In 2020, Christy was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the first year women were on the ballot.
Today, the successful sports figure is the CEO of her own boxing promotion company and also runs Christy’s Champs, a program to help victims of domestic violence.
Her relationship with Lusk didn’t last long, but she is now happily married to former ring rival Lisa Holewyne.
Christy has not spoken directly to Sweeney about the film. But she said she is happy to have the young star playing her and has even offered to train her.