Stunning Sydney Sweeney prepared for ‘critical’ boxing bout after Christy Martin biopic
Sydney Sweeney has said she would be open to a charity boxing bout after training up for her new film Christy, in which she plays the first female boxing world champion
American actress Sydney Sweeney has revealed she’s seriously considering stepping into the ring for a proper boxing bout after portraying an iconic fighter in her latest film role.
The 28-year-old takes on the part of Christy Martin in her upcoming movie Christy, which hits cinemas later this week.
Martin blazed a trail for women’s boxing during the 1990s and made history as the first female boxer to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The now 57-year-old claimed the WBC female super welterweight crown in 2009 and earned her place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020.
The biographical drama delves into Martin’s professional journey and the shocking 2010 incident when her husband attempted to take her life.
Sweeney, who became a household name through her performances in Euphoria and The White Lotus, as well as the hit film Anyone But You, admits the boxing bug has well and truly bitten her while working on the project.
Following its debut at the Toronto Film Festival in September, Sweeney confessed she genuinely contemplated abandoning her acting career for the sweet science.
“There was a moment in the middle of filming where I was like, ‘Should I give it all up and fight because I love this?'”, the Washington-born star revealed to Sportscasting.
“Christy (Martin) said sign me up so this isn’t as hypothetical as you actually think it is. Yeah, I’d totally do a charity bout, that’d be so sick.”
When asked about her potential opponent, Sweeney responded: “It’s a surprise, you’ll have to wait, I’m serious. You’ve got to stay tuned for the pay-per-view, and you’ll see it.”
Despite not appearing like a seasoned fighter, Sweeney has disclosed that she spent much of her youth honing her kickboxing and grappling skills, before admitting that boxing was an entirely different challenge.
“For about two-and-a-half months, I would weight train in the morning for an hour, box three hours in the middle of the day and then another hour of weight training at night,” she revealed on Good Morning America.
“I put on 35 pounds and it was hard. I started losing weight once I upped my boxing time and had to find that balance. I was just continually pounding more and more protein shakes.
“I loved it. I worked hardest on that left hook and I think what would get me through a fight is that I can take a punch. I wouldn’t quit.”
