Sneak peek: Christy Martin — The Fight of her Life | Forensic Files

Of all the crazy things that's happened in my life, this might be the craziest freaking day
ever. Here I am packing to go to the premiere of Christy, the movie, starring Sydney
Sweeney and Ben Foster at the film festival in Toronto. This is crazy to me. Emotions were running high as Sydney
Sweeney stepped out with Christy Martin. I am honored that Sydney was willing to
portray me and my boxing career and all the crazy other things that happened in life.
The fact that she's standing here right now and the whole world's going to get to see
her life and everything you went through and everything that you pushed through and you fought for,
it's so inspiring and I'm incredibly honored. The coal miner's daughter, Christy
Martin. Christy Martin was a public figure, a sports star, a pioneer. She put boxing on the map for females.
She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She made millions of dollars boxing.
Christy was married to Jim Martin. Jim was a boxing trainer and Jim trained her We'll take her out there.
We'll take her out there. For years, it was Christy and Jim as a team together. [Music]
Case number 2010, State of Florida versus James V. Martin. This is one of the most memorable cases
I had in approximately 5,000 that I handled as a prosecutor. It has a little bit of everything. You
have drugs, there's a sex tape. This is one of the most fascinating cases I've ever been a
part of. What did you want the jury to know about this marriage? That Jim Martin wasn't a a loving, caring
husband. Jim's control led to psychological abuse, physical abuse. He started to
provide her with controlled substances and would put Christy in a very compromised position to where she had to
rely on Jim or else her career would be over. Christy had told him that she wanted out
of the relationship. How did Jim take the news that Christy wanted out? Like his world was collapsing.
How did he take the news that she was seeing someone else? Horribly. But I don't think anybody truly believes
that the person that you've built a life with would all of a sudden turn and want
you dead. Inside the couple's Orange County home, James Martin stabbed his wife with a buck knife four times in the
chest and back. >> then ultimately gets a firearm. He stands over her and shoots her in the chest.
So, Jim pleads not guilty. What's your reaction? Expected. She's the one that had the gun. Jim was
just trying to defend himself and they fought over the gun. The way Jim described it, Christy was
hooked on drugs and she was extremely aggressive. He was constantly afraid of physical
attacks by her. Jury's entering. All rise. It's not every day that the target of a
murder ends up living to tell their story on the stand. It's rare. At this time, the state of Florida calls
Christy Martin. Christy was the boxer. Jim was the opponent. The jury was the audience and the judge was the referee.
And Christy had always talked about she wanted to win 50 fights in her life. Well,
Christy won 49 professional boxing matches in her career. That courtroom was the 50th fight.
He's taken my head and he's beating it to where the drawers are and I said, "You cannot kill me." And I meant it,
just like the sun came up this morning. I meant it. [Music]

A boxer is shot and stabbed by her husband but refuses to go down for the count. CBS News contributor David Begnaud reports. Watch Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025 at 9/8c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Christy Martin shares her story of survival and resilience as her life is portrayed in the film <i>Christy</i>, starring Sydney Sweeney.

Key points

Christy Martin's Inspiring Journey. Christy Martin shares her incredible story of resilience and triumph in boxing.
The Shocking Case of Jim Martin. A prosecutor recounts the harrowing details of Christy's abusive marriage and attempted murder.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This might be the craziest freaking day ever.

Christy reflects on her life-changing day.

0:04WatchNov 5, 2025

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.