See Where Christy Martin Is Now, Decades After Her Near-Fatal Attack

The story of former professional boxer Christy Martin is unlike any other. Aside from her talent, it’s her resilience in surviving years of abuse and a close brush with death that truly sets her apart. Sure, there were, and still are, plenty of talented female boxers, but Christy reached record-breaking heights, becoming the first woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the first female inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

She broke boundaries in the sport, all while enduring physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, Jim Martin, who also served as her boxing coach. Her story is both heartbreaking and inspiring, so it’s no surprise it’s being showcased in the biopic CHRISTY, starring Sydney Sweeney as Christy, which hits theaters on Nov. 7, 2025. With her past now returning to the spotlight, many are left wondering: Where is Christy Martin today?

Christy Martin is now using her voice and platform to advocate for survivors of domestic violence, often serving as a keynote speaker at various events. She’s also the CEO of Christy Martin Promotions, a boxing promotion company she founded in 2016, not long after retiring from the sport (her professional career spanned from 1989 to 2012).

Following her divorce from Jim Martin, Christy found happiness again with her former boxing rival, Lisa Holewyne, whom she later married in 2014. These days, you could say Christy is doing pretty well for herself, living a much happier life with her partner and running a successful company that keeps her connected to boxing.

In the ring. But before Lisa, Christy was married to Jim Martin, who was not only her boxing coach but also her abuser. Behind the scenes, Christy was subjected to ongoing physical and emotional abuse. Over the 20 years she spent with him, Jim often threatened to kill her if she ever left. In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, Christy admitted that at first, she didn’t take his threats seriously, but later realized just how real they were.

In 2010, after enduring countless violent outbursts and controlling behavior, Christy finally decided to leave, and Jim made good on his threats. He attacked her, repeatedly hitting and stabbing her before shooting her in the chest, barely missing her heart. When he walked away to take a shower, she managed to get up, leave the house, and flag down a passerby for help, according to CBS Mornings.

Jim was later convicted of attempted murder in 2012 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. And it was around the time of Jim’s sentencing that Lisa and Christy developed a bond.

The two had actually known each other since 2001, when they faced off in the ring. But it wasn’t until after Jim’s sentencing that they reconnected. Christy told The Guardian that Lisa had sparred with her a few times in the past, but after the trial, Lisa began calling to check in on her. Later, Lisa came to support Christy at a fight she was promoting in Charlotte, and that’s when their friendship turned into something deeper, and they’ve been together ever since.

When Christy told her mother that she and Lisa were getting married, her mother firmly said, “No, you’re not.” But Christy simply replied, “I lived 20 years making you happy. I’m going to live the next 20 years making me happy.” The former pro boxer has shared before that she stayed in her abusive marriage to keep her family happy, and this time, she wasn’t about to make the same mistake of putting everyone else’s happiness before her own.