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(SEPT 30) For those of
you who may be wondering, retirement is out of the question for Christy
Martin. “No! absolutely not” she said.
Although Holly Holm took the decision in their New Mexico fight, Martin
is not exactly sure how that happened. “Holm made no commitment to fight
in the ring, she seldom got close enough to hit me, I don’t know how you
score something that never connected.
She ran from me for 10 rounds. I was in good shape. I came to fight and
ended up at a track meet.”
Is she disappointed? “Yes, I am
disappointed, I came to fight, I was conditioned to fight and she ran. I
tried to make it a fight. I had sparred over 167 rounds. I was ready to
fight, but I spent 10 rounds chasing her around the ring. Her friends
were disrespectful, holding up tombstones and chanting rest in peace.
Not only were they disrespectful to me personally, they were
disrespectful towards the sport.
I think the crowd was as disappointed as
I was. I still don’t know how it was scored the way it was, I just
couldn’t believe it. I didn’t know what to think; nearly every punch she
threw was at least foot away from me. I bet we didn’t throw 100 punches
the whole fight!” Maybe they will meet again and maybe not, at any rate
Christy will go on fighting.
We talked for a while about her career and other fights. I found Christy
to be forthcoming and honest. I was able to get a perspective on this
fighter that I had not been able to capture for several years. When I
asked her, who her toughest opponent had been in the 52 fights she has
had since 1989, the answer was, “Me, Christy Martin. I am never
satisfied, I want to be better, I want to do better. I want to be the
best. I worked hard for what I have, nothing has been easy. I started
with nothing and had nothing for a long time. I struggled from the
bottom up, year after year. There were times when I wanted to quit. No
one wanted to put me on their show. There were times we paid to be on
the show. My husband Jim and my dad, who helped us out financially,
believed in me and got me through those moments.”
For the longest time Christy Martin wanted to be known as a “fighter”
not a “woman boxer” or “Female Fighter.” I asked why she felt she didn’t
want or need the designation and she explained, “I wasn’t trying to make
a statement as a woman or for women. I just wanted to be a fighter. I
wanted to fight because I loved it, I just wanted to fit in…..not stand
out, not make waves. I wasn’t trying to prove who I was, I already knew
that. I just wanted to fight. I still feel that way.”
“I grew up in West Virginia, in a small town atmosphere, not much to do.
After a few tough women contests, I knew, this was it, this was what I
wanted to do….it was for me, it was for Christy. I never thought I was
doing it for anyone else. Wasn’t I promoting women’s boxing every time I
fought regardless? I don’t think I had to stand up and make the claim. I
did it my own way; I was doing it for me. It was my dream.”
“I never had formal training through my first seven fights. I really had
no idea. I just went out there and did it. Things changed for me when I
met my husband Jim. Then, I found out how much I didn’t know! I worked
hard. No one out there was supporting or helping us. No one cared who
Christy Martin was. Later, when we were signed by Don King, things
changed. We had all kinds of offers of support then. Where were those
offers when we needed them? In the beginning it was tough and I paid my
dues.”
By signing with Don King, Christy had
opportunities most women in boxing have never had. Should we fault her
or criticize her? I don’t think so. Maybe she was at the right place at
the right time. Perhaps it was her destiny.
There is no denying that she has fought nearly all who have challenged
her. Much of the time she won, once in a great while, she lost. Her
first loss in 1989, to Andrea DeShong was mostly due to inexperience I
would guess, as she met her two more times and won both fights.
Her second loss in 1998 was to Sumya Anani. “I still don’t understand
why she wants a re-match. She won; she got the decision, what’s the
point? She says it is not about money, I don’t know what else it could
be, she got the decision and claims the victory, I just don’t get it.”
Christy’s third loss came at the hands of Laila Ali in 2003. “Well, I
have to tell you, she looks a lot taller that 5’10! I wanted a bigger
challenge and we were the two biggest names in boxing…..so we fought. I
have to admit it was a better financial deal than the idea to fight was.
She was too big for me but I fought with my whole heart. She has got to
be taller than that 5’10 though (she laughs).”
The fourth loss of her career came a few days back with Holly Holm on
the 16th of September 2005. Since we have covered that I will only tell
you that I would love to see a tape of that fight, just to have a clear
perspective of what happened in that fight. If you have one…contact me.
I respect Christy Martin’s place in the history of this sport. Although
I have found her to be a bit ornery and obstinate at times, I have also
observed a sensitive and caring side. It seems that Christy still has a
hunger and love for this sport that has lasted about 16 years now and
shows no signs of diminishing. With fifty-two fights to her credit…..how
many more can she handle? As many as she wants I guess.
As we spoke of the loyalty of her fan base Christy said, " I can’t
explain the feeling or what it means to me, when I hear them cheering or
calling my name it just touches me.”
So, what does the future hold for Christy Martin?
“I will continue to fight and when
the fighting is over I will manage and train fighters. It is what I do,
fighting gets in your blood, it stays in your blood. It’s my life.” And
so, there it is. Every fighter she ever fought was a challenge in which
she learned something new, win or lose. However, Christy will never be
satisfied with Christy. She will never see herself as “The Shining Star”
only a star in a sea of other stars, making every effort to shine as
brightly as she can in her corner of the ring. |
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