Christy Martin Movie Plus Top Fighters of the Past and More

 

By David A. Avila

A movie titled “Christy” about female pro boxing legend Christy Martin AKA “The Coalminer’s Daughter” recently premiered in Toronto starring Sydney Sweeney in the lead role.

The film is set for international distribution in November.

Martin was probably the first female boxer to gain international recognition in the late 1980s and early 90s with her aggressive fighting style. She was regularly viewed on Don King Production fight cards along with Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez.

It was because of Martin that other women athletes gained interest in the fistic sport. Among those influenced by Martin’s participation were Laila Ali, Mia St. John and a slew of others.

Her story of rising to boxing fame was only part of her journey. She also was a victim of abuse and was nearly killed by her then husband James Martin back in November 2010. He was tried and found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He died while incarcerated in November 2024.

Christy Martin was not the first female fighter but the first to gain wide recognition. There were many others who fought during the 90s that did not gain the same recognition. I’ve created a small list to give fans some knowledge of female fighters who made a mark in women’s boxing and who could one day have their own story told.

Here are some female fighter’s I feel deserve recognition:

 

Female Fighters You Should Know

Christy Martin (49-7-3, 32 Kos) – whenever Christy Martin stepped inside a boxing ring fans knew they could expect to see ferocity. Martin always sought to please the fans and sought to knock out every foe she faced in the prize ring. Today, Martin is an accomplished boxing promoter and stages shows all over the USA.

Lucia Rijker (17-0, 14 Kos) – Also known as the “Dutch Destroyer”, she was considered among the best of her era. At one time she was set to fight Christy Martin in Las Vegas. But injury forced a postponement and they never did meet in the prize ring. I still have a poster promoting their scheduled fight that never happened.

Laila Ali (24-0, 21 Kos) – the daughter of the late great Muhammad Ali was a big draw for women’s boxing. She quickly learned boxing skills that when added to her natural physical attributes allowed her to retire undefeated as a pro boxer. Ali also fought Christy Martin in 2003, it was a mismatch due to the size disparity. But many fans did tune in to watch the two female legends fight each other in Mississippi.

Ann Wolfe (24-1, 16 Kos) – was a skilled boxer-puncher known for a frightening knockout of Vonda Ward that is still viewed by many on YouTube.com. If she looks familiar, she has appeared in motion pictures like “Wonder Woman”. The one adversary Wolfe never faced was Laila Ali. It was perhaps the greatest fight that never happened.

Jane Couch (28-11, 9 Kos) – fought out of England when women were not allowed to participate in pro boxing. She was a fierce competitor and fearless in the boxing ring. Couch helped women’s boxing develop in the United Kingdom. Today, that country has become a stronghold for women’s boxing.

Valerie Mahfood (19-14-4, 9 Kos) – hailed from Texas and faced the best of the best including Laila Ali and Ann Wolfe. She is the only fighter to defeat Wolfe and did it by knockout. Mahfood was a very fierce fighter and had one speed 100 mph and get out of her way.

Mia St. John (49-14-2, 19 Kos) – was the first to gain attraction because of her looks along with the ability to fight. She later became very adept at fighting and faced Christy Martin a number of times. St. John had her own fighting style and cadence and other women fighters said she had an uncanny ability to throw off a fighter’s timing.

Isra Girgrah (28-3-2, 11 Kos) – was born in Dubai and in her first pro boxing match was knocked out. That did not stop her and she evolved into a very good fighter who ultimately won 28 fights while losing only three. She fought from 1995 to 2004 including Christy Martin at Madison Square Garden in 1997.

Layla McCarter (47-13-5, 13 Kos) – is still actively fighting. She began her boxing career in 1998 and captured world titles as a featherweight to super welterweight. McCarter has not lost a boxing match since 2007. Based in Las Vegas, her ability to dissect and neutralize an opponent has made her legendary as a boxer.

Melinda Cooper (23-2, 11 Kos) – was the first native born Las Vegas fighter to win a world title when she accomplished the feat in 2005. She was also one of the first to begin as an amateur star before entering the pro ranks. She retired in 2014 and became a law enforcement officer in Las Vegas.

Mariana Juarez (57-13-4, 20 Kos) – began in underground boxing shows in Mexico when women were not allowed to fight. She moved to Los Angeles and quickly became a fan attraction before moving back to Mexico City. Her combination of beauty and fighting spirit gained her tremendous fame in Mexico. She was the main attraction on a fight card that attracted more than 400,000 fans in 2017 at the Zocalo in Mexico City. It’s a record that stands today.

Ana Maria Torres (28-3-3, 16 Kos) – another fighter out of Mexico City who was known for her fierce nonstop fighting style. She was recently voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Her main adversaries were Mariana Juarez and Jackie Nava.

 

Naoko Fujioka (19-3-1, 7 Kos) – voted Japan’s greatest female fighter she captured world titles in five weight divisions. She recently retired after a career that began in 2009 and ended in 2022 losing her flyweight title to Marlen Esparza. The self-taught fighter clashed with many of the best of her time including Mariana Juarez, Tsunami Tenkai, Yokasta Valle and Susi Kentikian.

Alicia Ashley (24-12-1, 4 Kos) – a very under-rated and under-appreciated fighter out of New York City who fought from flyweight to featherweight. Her mix of speed and agility made it impossible for foes to get a bead on her. Her resume includes Elena “Baby Doll” Reid, Marcela Acuna, Mying Ok Ryu, Jackie Nava, and Dina Thorslund.

Ada Velez (20-5-3, 6  Kos) – a southpaw out of Puerto Rico, she was adept at figuring out a foes style and discovering how to beat it. A very clever and skilled fighter who was the first and only fighter to defeat Melinda Cooper. The Florida-based fighter retired in 2013 and now trains female fighters.

Regina Halmich (54-1-1, 16 Kos) – the blonde from Germany made women’s boxing explode in popularity in her native country. She rarely traveled outside of Germany and drew massive crowds whenever she fought. Halmich 56 times fought from 1994 to 2007 and proved that women’s boxing could sell.

Daisy Lang (19-3-1, 7 Kos) – born in Bulgaria she primarily fought in Germany and became one of the more popular female boxing attractions along with Regina Halmich. The blonde fighter fought from flyweight to super bantam and kept female boxing on the forefront in Germany.

Mary Jo Sanders (25-1-1, 8 Kos) – fought in an era when it was not only difficult to get seen but difficult to obtain fights. She lost only once to Holly Holm and after fighting to a majority draw in the rematch in 2008, Sanders never fought again. She was recently voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Anne Sophie Mathis (27-4-1, 23 Kos) – one of the hardest-hitting women fighters and hailed from France. She was tall at 5’11” and mainly fought at welterweight. One of her wins came against Holly Holm including a brutal knockout win in 2011. After losing by knockout to Cecilia Braekhus in 2016 she retired. She was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

 

More Fight News

Argentina

Maria Mazzarello (8-2) beat Romina Nunez (2-8-1) by decision after six rounds on Friday Sept. 5, The bantam fight was held in Garin.

Aixa Adema (11-10-5) won by unanimous decision after 10 rounds versus Diana Delbono (2-2-1) on Friday Sept. 5. The bantam fight took place in Santa Rosa.

On Saturday Sept. 13, flyweights Zoe Fernandez (2-0) and Micaela Torres (0-3) meet four rounds at Mar del Plata.

On Saturday Sept. 13, bantams Ludmilla Corbalan (4-0) and Romina Garro (1-2) meet six rounds at Buenos Aires.

 

Australia

On Saturday Sept. 13, bantams Erini Ramirez (4-3-1) and Suganya Chanarit (0-0) meet four rounds at Fleminton.

 

China

On Saturday Sept. 13, feathers Hongran Li (0-0) and Yuan Wang (0-0-1) meet four rounds at Yongkang.

 

Denmark

Anne Munk (1-0) defeated Jelena Bokan (0-4) after four rounds on Saturday Sept. 6. The bantamweight fight took place in Helberskov.

On Saturday Sept. 13, super bantams Melissa Mortensen (6-0) and Christina Garganese (3-3) meet eight rounds at Koulding.

 

Guatemala

On Friday Sept. 12, light flies Yhannely Juarez (0-1) and Susana Panameno (5-3) meet four rounds at Guatemala City.

 

India

On Thurs. Sept. 11, super flies Kavita Varma (0-3) and Yaro Maying (2-0) meet four rounds at Itanagar.

 

Italy

On Saturday Sept. 13, light flies Federica Macri (5-0-1) and Kiratra Hakrasang (1-2) meet eight rounds at Aosta.

 

Japan

Yumemi Ikemoto (10-2) knocked out Natthanan Sangiamchit (8-4-1) in the fifth round on Sunday Sept. 7. The light flyweight match took place in Shizuoka.

Eri Matsuda (8-2-1) beat Sana Hazuki (13-11-1) by majority decision after eight rounds on Friday Sept. 5. The atomweight fight took place in Tokyo.

 

Puerto Rico

On Friday Sept. 12, welters Stephanie Piniero (8-0) and Marie Pier Houle (11-1-2) meet 10 rounds at Bayamon.

 

Thailand

Monika Singh (10-2) knocked out Aliya Soomro (3-1) in the sixth round on Saturday Sept. 6. The light fly fight took place in Bangkok.

 

United Kingdom

Jade Burden (3-0) knocked out Sydney Chambers (0-1) in the first round on Saturday Sept. 6. The featherweight fight was held in Blackpool.

Sandy Ryan (8-3-1) beat Jade Grierson (5-1-1) by decision after 10 rounds on Saturday Sept. 6. The welterweight match took place in Houghton le Spring; also bantam Tiah Mai Ayton (2-0) knocked out Lydie Bialic (3-4-1) in the fourth round.

On Thursday sept. 11, super bantams Ruth Huntley (1-1) and Kira Carter (0-20-1) meet four rounds at Lancaster Terrace.

On Friday Sept. 12, feathers Jayne Bardauskas (2-0) and Naila Peloso (1-14-1) meet six rounds at Barnsley.

On Saturday Sept. 13, bantams Molly McCann (0-0) and Kate Radomska (4-7) meet six rounds at Belfast, Northern Ireland.

On Saturday Sept. 13, super welters Monica Bux (1-2) and Patricia Gonzalez (2-6-1) meet four rounds at Cardiff, Wales.

 

USA

Nathalia Dinis (1-0) defeated Chantal Sumrall (0-1) by decision after four rounds on Saturday Sept. 6. The featherweight fight was held in Houston, Texas. Also, feather Aliyah Pequeno (4-0) knocked out Karla Valenzuela (3-39-3) in three.

Brittany Sims (9-3) beat Natalia Francesca (7-6) by decision after 10 rounds on Friday Sept. 5. The bantamweight fight was held in Bethlehem, Pa.

On Friday Sept. 12, super feathers Danna Pineda (0-0) and Tanishia Lopez (1-1) meet four rounds at Merced, Calif.

 

(Photo from social media)