Christy: Where There is a Will, There is, The Way

 

Christy: Where There is a Will, There is, The Way

“It's my story, honestly, it is.”

- Fighting for Survival

by Christy Martin and Ron Borges, Chapter 1

“Somebody told me once, I fought like I was trying to destroy everybody who had done me wrong. They said I fought like I had demons in me. Maybe it's true. Maybe I do.”

“I go to a restaurant and I realize I don't know what to order. I don't know what to cook for myself at home. I don't know what clothes I want to wear, or what I want to watch on television. I have no idea who I actually am. Every aspect of my life has been controlled by this man. Every decision. Everyone I talk to.”

“Look at me! Look at me, Jim. You stabbed me. You shot me. You left me for dead on the bedroom floor. But like most else - you came up short.”

-Christy (2025)

As a journey through the medium of true to life narrative filmmaking, Christy hits harder than most, and not in the way that you may think. Christy Salters' journey from Itmann, West Virginia to Hall of Fame boxing legend, is incredible. In all the right, and wrong ways. The truth is, Christy's story isn't contained in the how, but the why.
Why would a 21-year-old girl marry her boxing trainer? Who, by the way, was more than twice her age. And why would their destructive relationship persist for 20 years? Sure, you could argue that it was a marriage driven by both parties' need to succeed, in the world cutthroat prize fighting. Making it a union of mutual gain. However, this assertion falls apart once you discover the blackmailable secret James Martin held in reserve. That being, his wife, Christy Martin-Salters was attracted to women. In point of fact, this secret could very well be called the designing factor of their marriage.
It sounds remarkably cliché as I write it. though it is as true as true can be, with all the nuance and reality that entails. James Martin attempted to kill his wife because she was a lesbian. In actuality Christy's sexuality played a small part in the larger tapestry of her desire to separate herself from her husband. It certainly contributed to her staying in the relationship. However, Martin's tendency towards psychological and physical abuse was the opening bell to the couple's final death-defying bout.

"If you leave me. I'll kill you.."

"Mama, I need help."

"Oh Christy, you sound crazy."

-Christy (2025)

Christy's story has no easy bows to tie. No savior to come to the rescue, at least in the temporal sense of the word. She is trapped between a family who wants her to be perceived as "normal", and a narcissistic covetous older man, who uses her for financial gain and perverted sexual pleasures. All while he is hanging Christy's own sexuality over her head like the proverbial sword of Damocles. Ready to strike and destroy her boxing career, the only refuge she has, at a moment's notice.
It may be beneficial to pause here for a moment to realize that life often takes us by surprise, speeding through hope after hope, without us ever realizing that those hopes could very easily metastasize into mistakes. How? How do Christy's hopes devolve into mistakes? Simply put, they're not her hopes. They are the hopes of others thrust upon her.
Now before we reach the precipice of metaphorical overreach, it should be stated, the hopes mentioned here are not reality. They are nothing more than vagaries of a desired outcome. An outcome that would have been more than likely misaligned, even if James Martin's murder attempt never took place. As the parent-child avenues of communication were never open, or at least they were very narrow, between Christy and her parents. James Martin did not create that tension, he only exacerbated it. Either way, Christy finds herself in a world where her decisions mean next to nothing, and her will is not her own.

“You might as well have pulled the trigger yourself. I wish I could have been the daughter you wanted me to be. I tried my whole life. I tried so fucking hard for you. And look where I am Mama. Look where I am.”

- Christy (2025)

That is often the nature of mental anguish. A seemingly endless loop of gas lighting trauma, and the erosion of conscious autonomy and choice. Now Christy's parents could not have known the devastating consequences of their personal hopes for their daughter's well-being. Their intentions were pure. Though, no matter how hard we try, our personal hopes for someone are not their decisions. In fact, our hopes could very well rob someone of an essential human gift. Their free will. Their ability to decide for themselves the trajectory of their life.
I know, it seems like an overwhelming assertion that a film about a boxer, and her murderous possessive husband, thematically expands to encompass the nature of the human psyche. I will admit. The idea is incredible. Then again, remarkable gifts frequently come from incredible places.
Before we continue, I would like to thank Christy Salters for allowing part of her story to be told in this way. Film has a remarkable capacity to allow us to empathize with someone else's lived experience. In just a single image, film can break through barriers and reveal something that we haven't thought of before. That is what happened to me. As I saw Christy stabbed, shot, and bleeding out on her bedroom floor. I heard a voice in my head that said, "This is why I have given you the ability to decide for yourself. Not to leave you orphaned, but to love you. Even when you struggle to love Me, or understand Me in return. I will always be with you." This is free will. This is God's grace.

“By the grace of God. I was able to get up, and get out. And get out of your clutches."

-Christy Martin,

James Martin's sentencing hearing, April 2012

"How can I forget you when you remembered me even after I was dead and lost? Beyond all hope, you showed mercy to your servant. Without deserving it, you gave me your mercy and friendship. What can I give you in return for such gifts?”

- The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, Book 3, Chapter 10

“Tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered' (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana 8)...They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust distribution in their regard should be avoided."

-The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2357-2358

We all have the capacity to fall short of the grace of God. And yet, God is always at our side, ready and willing to lead us to freedom. While I firmly stand with the Catholic Church in regards to its stance on homosexual acts, I would like to call your attention to the rest of the passage. The dignity of a person should always be upheld; we should never define them by their incongruences. Otherwise, our missing of the mark should be accounted for in the same manner. It is true, I disagree with Christy's current romantic relationship with Lisa Holewyne. Though I do not disagree with their friendship or care for one another.
Again, note the passage above. When the Church speaks of homosexual acts being disordered, they are referring to the sexual embrace and the marriage covenant. The Catholic Church is not referring to their innate personhood. or deep friendships between the same sex. To that end, I will never disavow Christy or Lisa of their dignity as beloved daughters of God, because God doesn't.
    For it is a sure thing, that Christy's story of survival finds its still beating heart in the very notion, and God-given power of dignity. That is the extraordinary resonance of this film. Its ability to encapsulate, in a thematic way, the true gift that is free will. Of course, freedom does not mean anarchy. We cannot do whatever we want, as Christy's horrific 20 year ordeal with James Martin conveys. True freedom is willing the good of the other, then allowing the other person to choose that good for themselves Director David Michod and his team beautifully transform a canvas of bloody human wickedness, and trauma, into an examination of the human spirit, and the will that propels it forward towards freedom.     God is always in our corner. Ready and willing to join the fight. Though, as Mother Angelica put it. "If you don't go, He won't go." In other words, where there is a will, there is, The Way.

"You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. "

-John 15:16 (NRSV)

Rated R for language, violence/bloody images, some drug use and sexual material (No nudity, just implied sexual acts.)

I found Christy to be thematically rich, profoundly thought-provoking and deeply meaningful. I hope in some way you do too.

Christy can be streamed on HBO Max with a subscription. It can be purchased digitally on any video streaming service. It is also available physically on DVD and Blu-ray disc.

Resources and References

Christy's remarks at James Martin's sentencing hearing, April 2012, video: Watch Here

Creepalachia. The Life and Career of Boxing Legend Christy Martin. Video interview with Christy Martin, September 25, 2025: Watch Here

THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, Being Shot & Stabbed Multiple Times by Husband - Christy Martin's Horrific Story. Christy Martin interview, January 23, 2022.| CLIP: Watch Here

Fr. Mike Schmitz | Love and Same Sex Attraction, video keynote speech, Steubenville On The Lake Conference,.2016: Watch Here

Fighting for Survival: My Journey Through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection, audiobook: Sample and Purchase Here

The Imitation of Christ, audiobook: Sample and Purchase Here

Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles audiobook: Sample and Purchase Here

Catechism of the Catholic Church: Second Edition, book: Purchase Here

Word on Fire Bible, book: Purchase Here

If you wish to explore over 160 film reviews and multimedia essays, my blog archive can be found at this link: Hour 21

Thanks for Reading