Euphoria actor Sydney Sweeney has been in the news lately as the face of a controversial new American Eagle jeans campaign. Still, she says she's moving on to talk about her upcoming film Christy, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival.Sweeney's American Eagle campaign raised eyebrows when some said it acted as a dog whistle for white supremacists who praised its "Sydney Sweeney has good jeans" message. However, after arriving in Toronto, Sweeney says she's done talking about that."I am there to support my movie and the people involved in making it, and I'm not there to talk about jeans," she says to Vanity Fair. "The movie's about Christy, and that's what I'll be there to talk about.""I was blown away that her story wasn't more known on a universal, global level because it's just one of the most harrowing and inspiring women that I've ever met in my entire life," she adds.So who is Christy Martin, the boxer known as the "Coal Miner's Daughter" and the subject of Sweeney's new biopic?Keep reading to find out everything you need to know!Who is Christy Martin?Martin was born to West Virginia coal miner Johnny Salters and his wife Joyce, a stay-at-home mother, in 1968. Both of her grandfathers and her brother Randy were also coal miners.She played sports throughout high school and was a member of the basketball team at Concord College. It was while in college that she entered her first Toughwoman contest (a precursor to MMA) and fell in love with boxing.What was Christy Martin's boxing career like?Martin began her boxing career at the age of 21 in 1989, and soon got attention for her hard punches and penchant for knockouts. Over her career, she was a welterweight champion, with a 49-7-3 professional record, with 32 fights won by knockout.In the 90s, she got the attention of legendary boxing promoter Don King, who organized the Thrilla in Manila and the Rumble in the Jungle. She became the first woman signed by King, and fought against Ireland's Deirdre Gogarty on the undercard to a 1996 Mike Tyson fight.Martin is a member of the Women's Boxing Hall of Fame and was the first female boxer on the cover of Sports Illustrated.In 2020, she was part of the first class of women elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.Who was Christy Martin married to?Christy met James Martin when she was 22 and he was 47. He was the boxing coach at the gym where she trained, although he stated that he "didn't think women belonged in the fight game," according to ESPN. Eventually, when he saw her success, he decided he could make money off her as a trainer, and the two got married after two years.Did Jim Martin abuse Christy Martin?Jim Martin abused Christy Martin throughout their marriage. The abuse culminated on the evening of November 23, 2010, when Jim stabbed his wife repeatedly with a 9-inch Buck knife, beat her, and shot her in the chest with her own gun, leaving her for dead, according to ESPN.As Christy Martin rose in popularity as a boxer, her husband's control over her tightened."He wouldn't allow me to find friendships. He controlled who I talked to, what I said to them," she told ESPN, adding that he would belittle her accomplishments, take credit for her successes, and insult her appearance and intellect.When she decided to leave him on November 23, 2010, he attempted to murder her.After stabbing and shooting Christy, Jim Martin took a shower to wash off. That's when Christy Martin escaped to a nearby road and flagged down a car that took her to the hospital.Jim Martin was eventually charged with attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and sentenced to 25 years in prison.Is Christy Martin a lesbian?When Martin was growing up, she says that by "5th or 6th grade," she knew she was attracted to other girls, per CBS News. In high school, she began secretly dating Sherry Lusk, who was her teammate on the basketball team. They kept their relationship a secret from Martin's family.In 2001, Martin fought against Hawaiian-born boxer Lisa Holewyne. Martin won in a unanimous decision after ten rounds."She boxed circles around me," Holewyne told ESPN. "It was aggravating. At the weigh-in, when I got off the scale, I said, 'Good luck, Martin,' and she said, 'Good luck getting knocked the f--- out.' Those were our first words to each other."The two stayed in each other's circles, sometimes sparring. After Martin was nearly murdered by her husband, the two got closer."And a few months after everything happened, and the trial with Jim, she started to call and check on me. And then she came to one of my fights that I was promoting in Charlotte, and weve been together since," Martin said to The Guardian.The two got married in 2017.What is the movie 'Christy' about?'In 2024, Sydney Sweeney signed on to star in David Michd's biopic Christy, about Martin and her life, per Deadline. Produced by Black Bear Pictures, the film follows Christy from her beginnings in West Virginia, to her rise as one of the biggest female athletes in the world, to her troubled relationship with her ex-husband."Christy Martin not only legitimized female boxing, she overcame gender stereotypes, and fought through emotional, physical, and financial abuse," Sweeney said at the time of her casting. "I'm passionate about the fighting world. Christy's story shines a light on her incredible rise to the top while showing the struggles of fame behind the curtains. I feel compelled to tell a story about a woman who faced so much adversity and didn't allow it to defeat her. It's powerful and emotional."Sweeney gained over 30 pounds for the role and spent three-and-a-half months doing weight training and kickboxing to prepare. She also wears brown contacts and a brown wig.Christy premieres at TIFF on Friday, September 5.