Christy Martin was one of, if not the biggest pioneers in women’s combat sports. From 1989 to 2012 to Martin was a major reason women’s boxing went from sideshow to a legitimate form of sporting competition.
She had a career record of 49-7-3 and in 2009 won the WBC Women’s Super Welterweight title. Her most famous fight was probably in 2003, however, when she fought Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila Ali for the IBA Women’s Super Middleweight title, which she lost by 4th round knockout.
So when she talks about how to be a good ambassador for a women’s combat sport she has a lot of experience to back it up.
In a new interview with FightHype, Martin discussed the current “Face of Women’s MMA” Ronda Rousey and she didn’t have very many kind things to say about her…
“Ronda Rousey, to me, is the worst public female image that we could ever have out there. Simply because she cannot sit here and have an interview with you without cursing word after word after word. I mean come on, we’re here to set an example for women, young women, young girls. People in general. Talk like you’re intelligent. When you have to use every other word as ‘F this and F that’, it shows your lack of intelligence, lack of vocabulary.”
“She needs to take a good look in the mirror. Not only did she get her shit knocked out by a non-puncher, you know … she’s a poor example for a person.”
“I’d give anything to be 10 years younger just to show her. I mean, are you kidding me? Holly Holm knocks you out? Holly Holm punches like a feather.”
Interestingly enough, Martin knows all about Holly Holm’s punching power as she lost a 10-round decision to her back in 2005 when Holm was still just boxing.
The good news for Martin, I guess, is that it sounds like we won’t have to see Rousey fighting for the UFC a whole lot longer and someone else can then take over the mantle as the new “Face of Women’s MMA.”
H/T Uproxx