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By Thomas Gerbasi - Boxing was always the easy part for Christy Martin. It was everything else around it that occupied her mind and made her seek refuge in a place you wouldn’t expect to find peace. But she could always hit the heavy bag or her opponents and escape for a while from the mental and physical abuse that awaited her back at home.
And there was seemingly no escape from that. For 20 years, Martin and her then-husband Jim put on a face for the world that portrayed them as the most unlikely boxing success story ever. Christy was “The Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Jim the man in the corner and behind the scenes who made it all possible. From Don King undercards to the cover of Sports Illustrated, it was the American Dream playing out before our eyes, though it was never what it seemed.
That was evident when news broke that on November 23, 2010, Jim Martin stabbed his wife several times and then shot her. Left for dead in their Florida home, Christy was eventually able to escape and make it out to the street, where she flagged down a passing car which took her to a local hospital. She survived, and the story shocked anyone who saw it.
“So many people that saw me fight saw me as a strong woman and someone that would never live in a domestic violence-filled relationship, not knowing the truth that I was in a terrible relationship for 20 years,” she said. “And if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.” [Click Here To Read More]
And there was seemingly no escape from that. For 20 years, Martin and her then-husband Jim put on a face for the world that portrayed them as the most unlikely boxing success story ever. Christy was “The Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Jim the man in the corner and behind the scenes who made it all possible. From Don King undercards to the cover of Sports Illustrated, it was the American Dream playing out before our eyes, though it was never what it seemed.
That was evident when news broke that on November 23, 2010, Jim Martin stabbed his wife several times and then shot her. Left for dead in their Florida home, Christy was eventually able to escape and make it out to the street, where she flagged down a passing car which took her to a local hospital. She survived, and the story shocked anyone who saw it.
“So many people that saw me fight saw me as a strong woman and someone that would never live in a domestic violence-filled relationship, not knowing the truth that I was in a terrible relationship for 20 years,” she said. “And if it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.” [Click Here To Read More]