Christy (2025) ending explained: Did Christy leave boxing?

Christy (2025) is a sports drama biographical film directed by David Michôd about professional boxer Christy Martin's rise to fame and the personal hurdles that impacted her life and career.

Sydney Sweeney plays Christy, while Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, and Katy O’Brian complete the main cast. Christy (2025) was a Special Presentations feature at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025, and it came out in the theaters on November 7, 2025.

Christy (2025) tells the story of Christy's path from her home in West Virginia to her becoming one of the most recognizable female boxers in America, while at the same time, it deals with the abuse she suffered in her marriage and the trouble she had in coming to terms with her identity.

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What happens in Christy (2025)?

Christy (2025) starts in 1989 in Mullens, West Virginia, when Christy Salters goes into a local female boxing match and wins even though she doesn't have any formal training. The performance of her drew the attention of James Martin, an old boxing coach, and he offered to train her.

Christy at first seems to be unsure of boxing as a career, but her victorious first fights encourage her to go on. During this period, she is in a relationship with Rosie, a girl from her hometown. But because of homophobia in her family and community, Christy separates herself from Rosie and keeps her sexual orientation a secret.

Afterwards, Christy moves to Florida to be with and train with James. Eventually, the relationship between them turns romantic, and later they get married. Her mother is happy with the marriage, thinking that it will help Christy to fit in with the social norms. James is both her coach and manager.

He tries to create an image for her in public, and he also controls her appearance and behavior. Nevertheless, Christy’s professional career is on the rise as she signs with promoter Don King and is involved in more and more high-profile matches.

By the mid-1990s, Christy became a well-known figure in women's boxing, which includes winning a match that was broadcast live from Las Vegas and becoming the first female boxer to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

However, she has to pay dearly in terms of personal life for the rise of her husband James' control over her, which later turns into physical abuse. The couple also starts using cocaine, and it rapidly deteriorates their relationship as well as their stability.

In 2003, Christy was forced to fight against Laila Ali in a higher weight class by James. She loses the fight, and her emotional as well as physical state keeps getting worse.

Her friend and trainer, Jeff, later on, reveals to her that James has been stealing money from her all along. Christy tries to get away from him and goes back to Rosie, but James, in response, releases her private videos and outs her in public.

The film's climax is when James physically assaults Christy, stabs her, shoots her, and leaves her for dead. Christy manages to escape the house, and a passerby takes her to the hospital. Eventually, James is apprehended and sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted second-degree murder.

While she is healing, Christy gets back in touch with her ex-rival, Lisa Holewyne, and they later become friends and support each other. The movie finishes with Christy coming back to her gym and being greeted by her people.

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Did Christy leave boxing?

Christy (2025) (Image Via Black Bear Pictures)

The conclusion of Christy (2025) suggests that even after being subjected to violence and physical harm, Christy does not completely give up on boxing. After her recuperation, Christy goes back to boxing but without James as her coach or manager.

The last shots of the film depict her coming back to the gym and being welcomed by those who support her. The movie ends with letters on the screen telling that later, in 2017, Christy married Lisa Holewyne and became a domestic violence victim's advocate.

Christy (2025) shows that her bond with the sport remains intact, but the reason for it has changed. When boxing was just another part of the system tightly controlled by James, it later turned out to be a way of her gaining freedom and finding herself.

The film doesn't show her going after professional matches at the same level as before. Rather, Christy (2025) depicts her as a person who still chooses to be involved in the sport but on her own terms, and at the same time, publicly she supports the survivors of ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌abuse.

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Christy (2025) was released in theatres on November 7, 2025.