Who is Christy Martin? All about the former boxer's upcoming biopic starring Sydney Sweeney

Christy Martin might be the greatest female fighter you've ever heard of and she's now getting a Hollywood biopic starring none other than Sydney Sweeney.

Not only is Martin one of the most ferocious punchers with the toughest chins in boxing history, she has an incredible life story that could melt even the hardest of hearts.

Martin's inspiring career and personal life have been chronicled in the Netflix documentary, Untold: Deal with the Devil. Fighting from the late 80s until 2012, 'The Coal Miner's Daughter' ended her illustrious career with a record of 49-7-3 with 32 KOs.

In 2016, the West Virginia native became the first female to be inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2020, she was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, a year after women were first elected on the ballot.

Now that Martin will have a film based on her life directed by renowned filmmaker David Michod and starring one of Hollywood's most sought-after A-list actresses Sweeney, her name will get the recognition it deserves in the annals of history.

Check out a photo of Sydney Sweeney as Christy Martin on X:

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Christy Martin's life and career explored

Born Christy Renae Salters in the coal mining country of Mullens, West Virginia, Martin played various sports as a kid, namely basketball and baseball. She even took part in 'Toughwoman' tournaments growing up, winning three consecutive championships. She made her professional debut in 1989 and compiled a record of 6-1-1 before starting a partnership with her long-time coach and soon-to-be ex-husband, Jim Martin.

At a time when women fighting in boxing was either considered a joke, Martin fought in bingo halls for local promotions for measly amounts of cash or even nothing at all. Still, her hard-hitting style and take-no-prisoners approach to fighting drew much attention - eventually catching the eye of legendary promoter Don King.

On March 16, 1996, 'The Coal Miner's Daughter' made history by fighting Irishwoman Dierdre Gogarty in the first female boxing match on pay-per-view. It was on the undercard of the championship match between Mike Tyson and Frank Bruno, in which 'Iron' Mike particularly asked to include her in the line-up. The fight, which Martin won, was later dubbed the fight that "put women's boxing on the map".

Martin's power akin to Tyson, technical ferocity like Roberto Duran, and granite chin rivaling Marvelous Marvin Hagler's helped her win the IBA women's super-middleweight title and WBC women's super-welterweight title.

In 2010, tragedy befell Martin's life as she was stabbed several times and shot at by her then-husband, Jim Martin. The former world champion fought for every inch of her life to crawl out of her house and onto the street to call for help. Jim Martin was later arrested and found guilty of attempted second-degree murder, sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Despite nearly dying, Martin showed the courage and grit that made her legendary by returning to fighting just a year later and fighting two more times before properly closing her iconic career in 2012.