Kriti Mehrotra
CBS’ ’48 Hours: Christy Martin – The Fight of Her Life’ tells the mind-boggling yet inspiring tale of one of America’s most famous female boxers, who is said to have legitimized women’s participation in the sport. Christy Salters Martin not only endured struggle in her professional life, trying to make a name for herself as an athlete, but her personal life was riddled with obstacles as well.
Christy hid the fact that she was gay for most part of her life, and had a husband whose abuse and dominance led to her almost losing her life. But now, as mentioned in the episode, Christy got the fairy-tale ending that she deserved by getting the opportunity to turn her boxing ring rival, Lisa Holewyne, into her wife. Let’s find out more about her!
Who Is Lisa Holewyne?
Lisa Holewyne, a former professional boxer, was born in Hawaii on March 10, 1966, and moved to Houston, Texas, when she was just a teenager. She graduated from Spring Branch High School in 1984, where she was an active and outstanding athlete in both softball and track, which led to her competing in the seven-event heptathlon while she was pursuing her Bachelor’s in Business Administration degree from The University of Texas.
Subsequently, Lisa took up boxing, and after she won several regional Golden Gloves titles, she realized that she could make a career out of it, which took her on an unforgettable journey. One of Lisa’s first meetings with Christy Martin was a punch in her face, quite literally, as it was within the boxing ring on November 17, 2001, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lisa lost the match by a unanimous decision, and after that, she never could have imagined that she and Christy would even become friends, let alone anything more. But while they were on the women’s circuit together, before Lisa fought her final fight in 2005, in front of over 5,000 fans, she and Christy formed an unlikely connection, which only improved as time went on. And after everything that happened to Christy happened and she came out, they reconnected.
Where Is Lisa Holewyne Now?
Lisa Holewyne, now 54, resides in Austin, Texas, with her wife, Christy Salters, whom she married on November 25, 2017. According to a report, their courtship was just four months long, and they had both proposed to one another in a hotel parking lot, avoiding any cliché’s because they knew what they wanted and were finally unafraid to go after it. While Lisa may not be a part of the boxing world anymore, she still stands by her wife’s side at every event and every match that the latter’s company, Christy Martin Promotions, a boxing advertising, and development company, has.
Plus, we should mention that on August 30, 2019, Lisa Holewyne, with her record of 25-17-2 over almost eight years as a professional boxer, was inducted into the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF), becoming one of the dozen inductees for the year. Today, though, Lisa is focused on her work in refurbishment, as the owner of her own company, Remodel Austin. Initially, this organization was only a flooring company, one of the best in the greater Austin area – which it still is – but over the last ten years, it has expanded its operations and now provides all restoration services.
Read More: Christy Martin’s Attempted Murder
