Christy Martin

For other people named Christy Martin, see Christy Martin (disambiguation).

Christy Renea Martin (née Salters; born June 12, 1968) is an American former professional boxer. Competing from 1989 to 2012, she held the WBC female super welterweight title in 2009. Martin was the first female boxer elected to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016, and was also elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020, which was the first year that women were on the ballot.

Christy Martin
Martin at an amateur boxing event in 2023
Born	Christy Renea Salters[1] (1968-06-12) June 12, 1968 (age 56)[1] Mullens, West Virginia, U.S.[2]
Other names	The Coal Miner's Daughter[1]
Statistics
Weight(s)	Light middleweight Middleweight Super middleweight
Height	5 ft 4+1⁄2 in (164 cm)[1]
Reach	64 in (163 cm)[1]
Stance	Orthodox[1]
Boxing record
Total fights	59
Wins	49
Wins by KO	32
Losses	7
Draws	3

Early life

Martin was born Christy Renea Salters on June 12, 1968, in Mullens, West Virginia.^[3][2][4] and attended Mullens High School.^[5]

She played various sports as a child including Little League baseball and all-state basketball. She attended Concord College in Athens, West Virginia, on a basketball scholarship and earned a B.S. in education.^[2][4]

Career

Martin is said to be “the most successful and prominent female boxer in the United States” and the person who “legitimized” women’s participation in the sport of boxing.^[2] She began her career fighting in “Toughwoman” contests and won three consecutive titles. She then began training with boxing coach, Jim Martin, who became her husband in 1991.^[2]

Martin started her professional boxing career at the age of 21 with a six-round draw with Angela Buchanan in 1989. She had her first training under the direction of Charlie Sensabaugh of Daniels West Virginia. Martin won a rematch with Buchanan one month later with a second round knockout. Andrea DeShong then beat Martin in a five-round decision. Martin then had nineteen consecutive wins, including two against Jamie Whitcomb and Suzanne Riccio-Major as well as a rubber match win against Buchanan. On October 15, 1993, Martin defeated Beverly Szymansky. Martin won by knocking out Szymansky in three rounds. Martin fought to a draw against debutante Laura Serrano in Las Vegas.^[4]

Martin's next fights included a rematch with Szymansky, a fourth fight with Buchanan, and bouts against Melinda Robinson and Sue Chase, winning all of them, before the fight that many credit for putting women's boxing on the sports fans' radar took place: On March 16, 1996, she and Deirdre Gogarty fought what many consider a great fight, in front of Showtime cameras. Martin got the decision, and after that bout, she began to gain more celebrity, even appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated once shortly afterwards.^[4] (Specifically, on April 15, 1996, Martin became the first female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated;^[6] the headline read, "The Lady Is a Champ".^[7])

Martin made a special guest appearance on the television show Roseanne in season 9, episode 6, "Pampered to a Pulp".

Martin won her next eight bouts including wins against Robinson, DeShong, Marcela Acuña and Isra Girgrah. Martin lost her title in a 10-round decision loss to Sumya Anani in 1998. Martin then won her next nine fights including wins against Belinda Laracuente, Sabrina Hall and Kathy Collins. Martin won her next two fights by ten-round decisions against Lisa Holeywine and Mia St. John.^[4]

In 2003 Martin fought Laila Ali and lost by a knockout in the fourth round.^[4]

Martin's next fight in 2005 was a second-round knockout against Lana Alexander in Lula, Mississippi.^[4]

In 2005 a fight with Lucia Rijker, titled "Million Dollar Lady", was canceled because Rijker ruptured her Achilles during training.

On September 16, 2005, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Martin lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Holly Holm. Martin was beaten by the 23-year-old southpaw, with all three judges scoring for Holm.^[4]

Martin holds a record of 49 wins, 7 losses and 3 draws with 31 wins by knockout.^[4] She is a frequent visitor of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame annual induction ceremonies, and an avid autograph signer. She has fought on the undercard of boxers Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Félix Trinidad and Julio César Chávez.

Martin was promoted by Don King, and was the first woman to sign with him.^[8][4] He signed Martin in October 1993 following her third-round knockout win against Beverly Szymanski.^[9]

Martin was nicknamed The Coal Miner's Daughter in reference to her father's occupation.^[3]

Martin announced on January 19, 2011, that she would be fighting again in hopes of her 50th career win on the undercard of the Ricardo Mayorga vs Miguel Cotto Fight at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 12, 2011, against Dakota Stone in a rematch of their 2009 Fight.^[10] The fight was postponed due to a rib injury to Martin. The rescheduled rematch took place June 4, 2011, at Staples Center in Los Angeles on the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs Sebastian Zbik undercard. Dakota Stone prevailed by TKO with :51 left as Martin broke her right hand in nine places on a punch in the 4th round and could not continue.^{[citation needed]}

In 2016, she became the first female boxer inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame. That same year, Sports Illustrated reported that she was working 2 jobs, as a substitute teacher and helping military veterans find work, and that she was dealing with the after effects of her career, including dealing with lack of stamina and double vision.^[11][12][13] In 2020 she was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame; she was elected to it in 2019, the first year that women were on the ballot.^[14][15]

Professional boxing record

59 fights	49 wins	7 losses
By knockout	32	2
By decision	17	5
Draws	3

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
59	Loss	49–7–3	Mia St. John	UD	10	Aug 14, 2012	Friant, California, U.S.
58	Loss	49–6–3	Dakota Stone	TKO	6 (6)	Jun 4, 2011	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
57	Win	49–5–3	Dakota Stone	MD	10	Sep 9, 2009	Syracuse, New York, U.S.	Won vacant WBC female super welterweight title
56	Win	48–5–3	Cimberly Harris	SD	6	Aug 1, 2009	Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
55	Draw	47–5–3	Valerie Mahfood	MD	8	Jul 18, 2008	Houston, Texas, U.S.	For vacant WBC–NABF female middleweight title
54	Win	47–5–2	Amy Yuratovac	UD	2 (6)	Jun 2, 2007	Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
53	Loss	46–5–2	Angelica Martinez	SD	10	Oct 6, 2006	Worley, Idaho, U.S.
52	Loss	46–4–2	Holly Holm	UD	10	Sep 16, 2005	Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
51	Win	46–3–2	Lana Alexander	KO	2 (6)	Apr 30, 2005	Lula, Mississippi, U.S.
50	Loss	45–3–2	Laila Ali	KO	4 (10)	Aug 23, 2003	Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.	For IBA female super middleweight title
49	Win	45–2–2	Mia St. John	UD	10	Dec 6, 2002	Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.
48	Win	44–2–2	Lisa Holewyne	UD	10	Nov 17, 2001	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
47	Win	43–2–2	Kathy Collins	MD	10	May 12, 2001	New York City, New York, U.S.
46	Win	42–2–2	Jeanne Martinez	UD	10	Mar 3, 2001	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
45	Win	41–2–2	Sabrina Hall	KO	1 (8)	Dec 2, 2000	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
44	Win	40–2–2	Dianna Lewis	UD	10	Aug 12, 2000	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
43	Win	39–2–2	Belinda Laracuente	MD	8	Mar 3, 2000	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
42	Win	38–2–2	Daniella Somers	TKO	5 (10)	Oct 2, 1999	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
41	Win	37–2–2	Jovette Jackson	TKO	1	Apr 24, 1999	Washington, D.C., U.S.
40	Loss	36–2–2	Sumya Anani	MD	10	Dec 18, 1998	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
39	Win	36–1–2	Christine Robinson	TKO	5 (6)	Sep 19, 1998	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
38	Win	35–1–2	Cheryl Nance	TKO	9 (10)	Aug 29, 1998	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
37	Win	34–1–2	Marcela Acuña	UD	10	Dec 5, 1997	Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S.
36	Win	33–1–2	Isra Girgrah	UD	8	Aug 23, 1997	New York City, New York, U.S.
35	Win	32–1–2	Andrea DeShong	TKO	7 (8)	Jun 28, 1997	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
34	Win	31–1–2	Bethany Payne	TKO	1 (6)	Nov 9, 1996	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
33	Win	30–1–2	Melinda Robinson	KO	4	Sep 7, 1996	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
32	Win	29–1–2	Deirdre Gogarty	UD	6	Mar 16, 1996	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
31	Win	28–1–2	Del Pettis	TKO	1	Feb 24, 1996	Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
30	Win	27–1–2	Sue Chase	TKO	3 (6)	Feb 10, 1996	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
29	Win	26–1–2	Melinda Robinson	UD	6	Jan 13, 1996	Miami, Florida, U.S.
28	Win	25–1–2	Erica Schmidlin	TKO	1	Dec 16, 1995	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
27	Win	24–1–2	Angela Buchanan	TKO	2 (6)	Aug 12, 1995	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
26	Win	23–1–2	Beverly Szymanski	KO	4 (6)	Apr 1, 1995	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
25	Win	22–1–2	Chris Kreuz	TKO	4 (6)	Sep 12, 1994	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
24	Draw	21–1–2	Laura Serrano	UD	6	May 7, 1994	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
23	Win	21–1–1	Sonja Donlevy	TKO	1	Mar 4, 1994	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
22	Win	20–1–1	Susie Melton	TKO	1 (6)	Jan 29, 1994	Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
21	Win	19–1–1	Beverly Szymanski	KO	3	Oct 15, 1993	Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
20	Win	18–1–1	Rebecca Kirkland	TKO	1 (6)	Aug 27, 1993	Punta Gorda, Florida, U.S.
19	Win	17–1–1	Deborah Cruickshank	KO	1 (4)	May 28, 1993	Punta Gorda, Florida, U.S.
18	Win	16–1–1	Susie Hughes	TKO	1	Jan 29, 1993	Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
17	Win	15–1–1	Angela Buchanan	TKO	1	Nov 14, 1992	Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
16	Win	14–1–1	Tracy Gordon	TKO	1	Sep 5, 1992	Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
15	Win	13–1–1	Stacey Prestage	UD	8	May 30, 1992	Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
14	Win	12–1–1	Jackie Thomas	TKO	3 (8)	Jan 25, 1992	Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
13	Win	11–1–1	Rose Noble	TKO	1	Jan 11, 1992	Grundy, Virginia, U.S.
12	Win	10–1–1	Shannon Davenport	TKO	2	Sep 10, 1991	Princeton, West Virginia, U.S.
11	Win	9–1–1	Rhonda Hefflin	KO	1	May 25, 1991	Tennessee, U.S.
10	Win	8–1–1	Pat Watts	TKO	1	Mar 16, 1991	Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.
9	Win	7–1–1	Suzanne Riccio	PTS	5	Feb 25, 1991	Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.
8	Win	6–1–1	Jamie Whitcomb	TKO	2 (5)	Jan 12, 1991	Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.
7	Win	5–1–1	Lisa Holpp	TKO	1	Oct 27, 1990	Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.
6	Win	4–1–1	Jamie Whitcomb	PTS	6	Sep 22, 1990	Johnson City, Tennessee, U.S.
5	Win	3–1–1	Andrea DeShong	PTS	5	Apr 21, 1990	Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.
4	Loss	2–1–1	Andrea DeShong	MD	5	Nov 4, 1989	Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.
3	Win	2–0–1	Tammy Jones	TKO	1	Oct 21, 1989	Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.
2	Win	1–0–1	Angela Buchanan	KO	2	Sep 30, 1989	Durham, North Carolina, U.S.
1	Draw	0–0–1	Angela Buchanan	PTS	5	Sep 9, 1989	Bristol, Tennessee, U.S.

Attempted murder

On November 23, 2010, Christy Martin was stabbed several times and shot at least once in her torso and left for dead by her husband, 66-year-old James V. Martin. The attack reportedly occurred after an argument in their Apopka home.^[16] She survived the attack. On November 30, James Martin was arrested and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center after he stabbed himself.^[17] He was booked in Orange County Jail and charged with attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.^[18]

In April 2012, James Martin was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder.^[19] He was sentenced two months later to 25 years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence at Graceville Correctional Facility in Graceville, Florida.^[20][21]

Personal life

Martin married former ring rival Lisa Holewyne on November 25, 2017.^[22] Martin is the CEO of Christy Martin Promotions, a boxing promotion company that has promoted many events in North Carolina since 2016 and will be promoting boxing events in Jacksonville, Florida and in other Southern United States cities.^{[when?][citation needed]}

Legacy

In 2021, Netflix released Untold: Deal with the Devil, a documentary chronicling Martin’s career and personal life.^[23] In 2024, it was announced that a biopic of her life, starring Sydney Sweeney, was in production.^[24]

References

1. "Christy Martin". BoxRec. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
2. Outstanding Women Athletes: Who they are and how they influenced sports, Janet Woolum
3. "Christy Martin". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
4. "Women's Boxing: Christy Martin Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
5. "BOXER WEARS LIPSTICK, AND SHE IS A WINNER". OrlandoSentinel.com. 29 January 1994. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
6. Tumin, Remy (August 17, 2022). "Famous, But Not Free". New York Times. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
7. "Christy Martin, Boxing Sports Illustrated Cover by Sports Illustrated". Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
8. Feldman, Jacob (July 2016). "Where Are They Now: Former boxer Christy Martin". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
9. Smith, Malissa (2014-06-05). A History of Women's Boxing. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 194–209. ISBN 978-1-4422-2995-2. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
10. "Sports News & latest headlines from AOL". AOL.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-24. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
11. "Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame to induct 11, including 1st woman". thenewstribune. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09.
12. "First female voted into Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame". Boxingjunkie.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
13. Diaz, George (4 August 2016). "Christy Martin finally stands alone as boxing Hall of Famer". orlandosentinel.com.
14. Schilken, Chuck (2019-12-04). "Christy Martin and Bernard Hopkins headline Boxing Hall of Fame class". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
15. Tumin, Remy (2022-08-18). "Famous, but Not Free". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
16. "Female boxer Christy Martin hospitalized after attack". reuters.com. 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
17. Prieto, Bianca (November 30, 2010). "Deputies track down, arrest Christy Martin's husband". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
18. "Current Inmate Database - James V. Martin". Orange County Inmate Records. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
19. "Boxer Christy Martin's ex guilty of attempted murder". Orlando Sentinel. April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on January 1, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
20. "Inmate Population Information Detail".
21. "James Martin gets 25 years for trying to kill boxer Christy Martin". Orlando Sentinel. June 26, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
22. Morrison, Jane Ann (28 May 2011). "Boxer tells of her attack to draw attention to domestic violence". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
23. Untold: Deal with the Devil (2021) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-05-17
24. Wiseman, Andreas (May 8, 2024). "Sydney Sweeney Getting Into The Ring To Portray Trailblazing Boxer Christy Martin For Director David Michôd, Black Bear & Anonymous Content; Actress Is "Itching To Start Training" For Role – Cannes Market Hot Project". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 9, 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Christy Martin Female Boxer Biography