Described as one of the most influential female boxers of all time, helping legitimize women’s participation in the sport, Christy Martin shocked the world by becoming a superstar after winning a blood-soaked undercard match at the Mike Tyson/Frank Bruno fight in 1996.

Growing up in a small town in West Virginia, Martin was a popular standout athlete, and as she began to win her first amateur fights, she struggled with being open about her sexual orientation, choosing to keep her relationships with women secret. She later found a coach in Jim Martin, a professional boxing trainer who, despite his initial skepticism about “women’s boxing,” signed on to help train her.

They would later become romantically involved, despite their 20-year-plus age difference. After landing on Don King’s radar, Martin, under the moniker “The Coal Miner’s Daughter,” experienced a meteoric rise, including the cover of Sports Illustrated, breaking pay-per-view records in women’s boxing along the way. The fall from that height was steep and included substance abuse, domestic violence and a harrowing brush with death. Martin reveals how she battled back to level ground and a content personal life, which now includes an induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Additional interviewees include Mike Tyson, Laila Ali, Martin’s family, and convicted attempted murderer Jim Martin speaks for the first time since his imprisonment.