Christy Martin:
She was born in Mullens, West Virginia with the name Christy Salters. Martin was very much into sports right from her childhood. She played Little League baseball and all-state basketball before making big in boxing.
Martin is a pioneer in the game of female boxing. Called the ‘Coal Miner’s daughter’ by her promoter Don King, she was dubbed by experts as the ‘Most Successful and Prominent Female Boxer in the United States.’
Martin made her professional boxing debut in 1989 at the age of 21 in a match against Angela Buchanan ended in a sixth-round draw. During their rematch, however, Christy knocked down Buchanan during the second round.
Martin was unsuccessful in her first two attempts at a boxing world title but finally won her only belt- the WBC super middleweight title by defeating Dakota Stone via majority decision. In 2016, she became the first female boxer to be inducted to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.