For her transformation into Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic Christy, Sydney Sweeneyimmersed herself in the punishing world of professional boxing, enduring real contact, injuries, and drastic physical change to capture the spirit of one of the sport’s most groundbreaking fighters.
In an interview with The Guardian, Sweeney opened up about the toll the preparation took on her body.
“I had concussions, there were some bloody noses. Every fight that you see, we’re hitting each other,” she said.
To match Martin‘s fighting weight (roughly 135-137 lbs) and muscular frame, Sweeney again told audiences she did “weight training in the morning for an hour, then boxing for three hours in the middle of the day, and then another hour of weight training at night”.
She gained roughly 30-35 lbs during the three-month prep, a transformation she describes as creating what she called “the strongest, full-of-life version of myself.”
Inside the transformation and the story behind it
Director David Michôd, best known for gritty work like The Rover, did not mask how raw this journey would get.
He said the boxing scenes became a negotiation between Sweeney and stunt performers, noting that “I had very little to do with it.”
According to People, Sweeney trained with a nutritionist and spent up to five hours daily combining conditioning with technical ring work.
But beyond the workouts, she said the experience was also emotionally grueling. “It was definitely a mental challenge and almost a physical withdrawal from being able to work out so much, which was kind of like a weird serotonin drop.”
She felt that the version of herself she embodied during filming – muscular, combative, resilient – was unlike any she had been before.
Her preparation went beyond the physical transformation. Sweeney developed a close bond with Christy Martin herself, calling her “my best friend” during filming.
That mentorship gave the actress a first-hand perspective on Martin’s resilience, from her rise as a pioneering female boxer in a male-dominated sport to her survival of personal abuse and violence.
Sweeney‘s own background made her well-suited to the demanding role. She trained in kickboxing and grappling as a teenager and was “the only girl at the dojo,” a fact she said helped her channel the intensity needed for Christy.
That intensity came with side effects, both positive and surprising. “My boobs got bigger. And my butt got huge. It was crazy!” she laughed in a W Magazine cover story.
But beneath the humor lies a story of physical evolution, one that mirrors the resilience and grit of the woman she portrays.
Director Michôd described the project as more than a sports biopic. “One of the things that drew me to this story was the idea of being able to make a movie that starts, in a way, as a beautiful, wild, underdog sports movie, but then starts to shift into something that’s really harrowing and, ultimately, deeply moving.”
Christy Martin’s legacy extends beyond her record in the ring; she became one of the first women to sign with Don King, fought on major pay-per-view cards, and broke barriers for female boxers in the 1990s.
Christy was theatrically released on Friday, November 7, in the United States. Sweeney‘s portrayal is already drawing early praise from critics for its authenticity and grit.
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