Former boxer makes comeback after near death experience.
by MICHELLE BOUDIN / NewChannel 36 Staff
Posted on May 16, 2012 at 11:45 PM
Updated yesterday at 9:00 AM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- In her heyday, she was known as the female Mike Tyson. The woman who put women's boxing on the map.
But few had any idea of the real fight she was facing -- at home.
We found her working out at Charlotte's ultimate gym. To say the warehouse is no frills would be overstating it.
People working out inside these brick walls don’t pull any punches. And they barely notice the woman in the main ring. Christy Martin is training for her final fight.
“Boxing is the worst drug ever because you get so addicted to it, you can’t get it out of your system,” Martin said during our ringside interview.
She recounts the time when she was at her peak. She is still considered one of the greatest female boxers of all time.
“It’s probably the biggest high any junkie could have, here you are fighting in front of millions of people on the undercard of Mike Tyson," she said.
At the height of her career, Martin was often the opening act for Mike Tyson, a guest on Jay Leno and a Sports Illustrated cover girl.
“It was a cool time for me,” she said. “Professionally, people see the Christy that’s out there in front of the cameras, and getting the opportunity to do all these cool things.They don’t know the person that goes home and when the door closes, the basic hell that I lived in -- people didn't see that.”
Christy married her trainer -- Jim Martin -- when she was just 23.
In the ring, she was a champion with 31 knockouts under her belt. At home though, her husband was her toughest opponent.
“The whole time it was mental and emotional control and abuse. Physically, I’d never been knocked out except by Jim,” Martin said.
She finally ended their marriage in November, 2010 and he nearly ended her life.
“I’m like you stabbed me, you stabbed me and then I tried to get away. I couldn’t so I kicked at him and when I kicked at him he just cut my leg."
He shot her and left her dying.
Last month, Christy testified against her husband and helped convict Jim Martin of attempted murder.
It was the fight of her life, one she says she had to win before she could move on to the next. Now the 43-year-old boxer with 49 wins is focused on what she says will be her last fight.
“That was the whole goal, to get to 50 wins that’s been my goal for years. After the 50 then I can sit down do I want to continue.”
That’s why she's in Charlotte, training.
“It’s a number I picked a long long time ago. It has that nice round big fat number to get to 50 wins, I think it makes a statement.”
She's also hoping to use the national spotlight to send a message.
“People looked at me probably as a really strong woman..tough, she fights hard. Probably don’t realize at home how manipulated I was and abused. So I think people can hear my story it will give them more confidence to walk away from a bad situation they may be in."
Martin is hoping her story will give domestic violence victims the fighting spirit she didn't get - until it was almost too late.
NewsChannel 36 tried to arrange a jailhouse interview with Jim Martin but he declined. His attorney tells us they will appeal the verdict.
Christy Martin is scheduled to take on her final fight next month. After that she wants to do commentating.
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