“That’s still the worst 10 seconds of my life,” Christy Martin tells talkSPORT.com.The trailblazing former boxer is reflecting on an iconic bout from her 23-year, 59-fight career, as told in the upcoming film, Christy.Martin was known as the greatest female boxer until she met the daughter of Muhammad AliGetty Former world boxing champion Martin, 57, is portrayed by Sydney Sweeney in the film, which tells the remarkable story of her life from small-town roots in West Virginia to becoming the greatest female fighter of all time.Martin enters the professional scene under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned husband, Jim, played by Ben Foster.Without spoiling the film, Martin’s story involves grit and an unshakable desire to win, but most of her toughest battles come outside of the sport she fell in love with.She was the first female boxer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the first female inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.During her rise, she was a mega-star, fighting on the undercard of both Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield fights, having signed with legendary promoter Don King.She was known as the greatest female fighter of all time until she met Laila Ali, the daughter of the greatest boxer of all time.Martin vs Ali“I was very confident going into the fight,” Martin says, looking back 22 years to her meeting with Ali.“I knew that I was a pretty good puncher, and she hadn’t really been in there with anybody that punched as hard as I did. “I still believe that it was whoever hit whom first, and she hit me first, high on my head in the first round.“I mean, like the first 30 seconds — the fight was truly over.”Ali was bigger and taller than Martin, but she never backed down from a fightOld School Boxing, NBA, NFL games and Wrestling - YouTubeMartin is played by Sydney Sweeney in her biopic, Christy, in UK and Irish cinemas from November 28GettyAfter months of buildup and a rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, Martin met Ali at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in August 2003 to decide the greatest female fighter on the planet.The bout was scheduled for 10 two-minute rounds with Ali’s IBA super middleweight title on the line.Ali was undefeated in 15 pro fights at the time, knocking out 12 of her opponents, and the 5’10” fighter weighed in at 162lbs ahead of the clash.The only thing Ali lacked when compared to Martin was experience, with the last time one of her fights received so much attention being when she fought Joe Frazier’s daughter Jacqui Frazier-Lyde two years prior.Martin, on the other hand, was 5’4”, but had surprisingly weighed in for the bout at 159lbs — although her 2025 biopic shows she strategically made herself heavier when tipping the scales.Despite Martin losing just twice in 49 bouts (31KOs) at the time, her fight with Ali was all but a fair matchup, but she sought to give fans what they wanted to see: the best against the best.Martin came to blows with Ali in August 2003 to crown the greatest female fighter on the planetGetty‘The Coalminer’s Daughter’ told talkSPORT.com that she knew the Mississippi bout was over just 30 seconds inGettyWhat happened when Martin fought Laila Ali?Ali put her foot on the gas from the first bell, unloading a barrage of punches which forced Martin to cover up.Despite ‘The Coalminer’s Daughter’ standing her ground, she was instantly rocked by the pure force of her opponent’s punches.Martin remained aggressive and strong, utilising her range while fighting on the inside and out against the woman in black and white.She was finding some success, landing on her back foot, until Ali came in swinging.In the final 20 seconds of round one, Ali pinned Martin against the ropes with rapid right hands, catching her repeatedly on the skull.The crowd roared, expecting a finish as Martin was out on her feet, fighting for her survival, before ultimately being saved by the bell.Win a trip to Vegas plus £5k cashKick off 2026 with the trip of a lifetime to Las Vegas!Get ready for the ultimate getaway with your chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip featuring upper class flights, a four-night stay, tickets to the Las Vegas Raiders vs Kansas game, plus £5,000 cash!Enter now for your chance to win.The competition closes on Friday, 28 November at 4pm.“I recently told [Ali] that [I thought the fight was done at that point], and she was like, ‘Oh s***, I gotta go back and watch it,” Martin says.“I’m like, ‘Yeah you hit me high, I was done, I couldn’t recover, I thought I was on a tilt.“She was young and big and all that, but I was really confident — I guess they have weight classes for a reason.“But it was the biggest fight that could have been made at the time for women’s boxing, so I wanted to make it.”What ensued in rounds two, three and four was more of the same.“The most trouble I’ve ever seen Christy Martin face in a fight,” one commentator admitted, as Martin struggled to stay on both feet in round two.Ali floored Martin on one knee for the first time in her careerGettyThe calibre of what Martin was made of was beginning to show, as her punches didn’t seem to be causing problems for Ali, who was using her opponent as target practice.Martin looked like she’d seen a ghost sitting in her corner before the third stanza, and things never improved.Ali began relentlessly pounding, and Martin, who struggled to escape the champion’s right hand, eventually found herself on one knee for the first time in her career following a nasty combination.The corner of Ali even stormed the ring, risking a disqualification, but Martin got up and the fight continued.Ali smelt blood in round four and went headhunting, as the onslaught continued and the Biloxi crowd were sensing the end was near.“She’s just too small for Laila Ali,” the broadcast team uttered, and soon after, Martin collapsed to the canvas after multiple one-twos.Martin: Fighting Ali was worse than being shot and stabbedAli proved too much for Martin and stopped her with a flurry of punches in the fourth roundGettyThe fight is shown in Martin’s 2025 biopic, ChristyGetty“You know I’m gonna tell you that’s still the worst 10 seconds of my life,” Martin reflects.“Is that I stayed on my knee, even after being shot and stabbed, because I got up from that.“I felt like such a quitter and like, ‘Oh my God,’ for those 10 seconds to stay there and just not get back up.“I would much rather now that she would have just knocked me out, or I’d have gotten back up and continue to take it.“Quitting it’s not really my DNA. I don’t know what happened that day… I don’t regret taking the fight.“I believed in myself, and that wasn’t my night. If we did it again, maybe it would be the same outcome, or maybe I would land my punch first.”Martin aims to give victims of domestic violence the knowledge and courage to leaveMartin couldn’t have said it better — quitting was not in her DNA, as she miraculously proved seven years later.Ali went on to win her subsequent eight bouts before retiring with a perfect 24-0 record.Sweeney showed her transformation to her millions of followers ahead of the release of the film@sydney_sweeneyMartin, meanwhile, traded a win and two losses, including to former UFC champion Holly Holm in 2005, before getting back into her groove.Fast forward seven years to November 2010, and Martin found herself left for dead.During a time when her husband Jim was facilitating a cocaine addiction, she had endured extreme domestic violence.It all culminated when Jim stabbed her several times before shooting her at point-blank range at least once.It’s difficult to fathom that a boxer known for 32 career KOs could be the victim of such abuse.But that is the reality of Christy, and Martin hopes the film will prove more than just a story of her boxing career.“I made a deal with God from my hospital bed that if he would let me live, I would help as many people as I possibly could before I leave this earth,” Martin concludes.“That’s what I think this movie is going to do. “I think so many people who don’t think about domestic violence, or even some people who are in a domestic violence situation, they’re gonna go see this movie and realise how urgent it is to make a change.“Because when you’re in a situation, you sometimes feel alone and you don’t know who to turn to. “With me, I said, ‘On my birthday, I’m going to give myself a birthday present, I’m going to leave.’“My birthday would come and go, then Christmas would come and the same thing“It would come and go, and I would never make that choice — I would never make that move to actually leave. “But you can’t stay, and hopefully this gives people the courage and the knowledge to know that they have to leave now.”Outside of her boxing promotion company, Christy Martin Promotions, which currently looks after around 10 fighters, Martin has founded Christy’s Champs.The non-profit organisation aims to bring awareness to domestic violence and works towards prevention by breaking the cycle. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, help is available at the National Domestic Abuse Helpline.You can call the helpline on 0808 2000 247 or utilise the live chat option to speak to an adviser for support.