Sydney Sweeney has likely maneuvered her way into Oscar talk with a knockout performance as boxer Christy Martin, who overcame numerous obstacles on her way to becoming a world champion and one of the most recognized female athletes on the planet.

But the 28-year-old Spokane, Wash., native known for starring in the HBO series “Euphoria” and the steamy big-screen rom-com “Anyone But You,” opposite Glen Powell, says nabbing a nomination for her work in “Christy” isn’t foremost on her mind.

She simply wants Christy to get her due.

“I am just happy that people are talking about the film,” said Sweeney, who’s also a producer on the drama that opens in theaters Nov. 7. “I did it for Christy. I hope that people continue to talk about Christy.”

Directed and co-written by David Michôd, “Christy” is an eye opener for anyone not familiar with Martin’s harrowing but inspiring story. It is certain to cast a huge spotlight on Martin, who, during a 25-year career, won 49 fights and a WBC championship. She was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020 and was the first woman to appear on a Sports Illustrated cover.

Martin’s athletic gifts and tenacity fit, well, like a glove in the sport. Her personal life was another matter. She realized by her early teens that she was a lesbian, which did not go over well with her conservative West Virginian parents.

In her teens, Martin played both basketball and baseball and somewhat stumbled upon boxing and then belt out win after win. Dubbed “The Coal Miner’s Daughter,” she went on to marry her controlling older coach Jim Martin (played by Ben Foster), who abused her and took advantage of her — crimes that landed him behind bars.

Michôd’s film chronicles Martin’s athletic rise and fall and her phoenix-like resurrection, and is also a story about overcoming a horribly abusive relationship and finding the inner-strength to embrace your queer self, regardless of what others say.

Sweeney hopes domestic abuse survivors and anyone who is queer and doesn’t have the backing of their family take this message away from Martin’s story: “That they know that they’re not alone. One of the things that we always said on the set was to be Christy strong, either for themselves or for the other people (in their lives).”

A gifted athlete growing up, Sweeney enthusiastically participated in a range of sports (baseball, soccer, skiing, volleyball, kickboxing and more). But before reading the script, she had never heard of Martin, who’s now an inspirational speaker, boxing analyst and promoter.

“I was so shocked that I hadn’t heard of her before because I have been a huge fan of the UFC world and the fighting world,” she said. “I looked up to Ronda Rousey (the wrestler and actress) and I trained since I was 12. When I learned about (Martin) her and I read her story I was like ‘How do more people not know about her?’ She’s incredible. This is one of the most fascinating, heartbreaking but inspiring stories I’ve ever heard.”

What impressed her was how the resilient and courageous Martin was never down for the count.

“She was born a fighter inside that ring and out.”

The same could be said about Sweeney, who’s been at the center of controversies of someone else’s making.

What helped Sweeney — who starred in the period truth-based survival story “Eden” from Ron Howard, the quirky crime thriller “Americana,” the horror film “Immaculate,” along with a much-opined about  American Eagles jean ad drew considerable controversy — get into Martin’s psyche was having Martin on the set (she also has a moving cameo near the finale) and getting to know her.

“I had the pleasure of being able to talk with her, meet with her,” Sweeney said. “She was there during prep. She was there during training. I sparred with her. She’d come to the set more often than not and I loved having her around.”

But it also was somewhat nerve-wracking.

“It’s one of those really interesting things where it’s a blessing because you have the actual person, but then it’s also terrifying at the same time,” she said. “You’re also portraying somebody in their lifespan so who they are today is going to be completely different than who they were when they were 20, when you first meet them onscreen.”

Although Sweeney’s athletic, the role demanded that she get into Christy shape and that meant working with a boxing coach, a weight trainer and nutritionist. She packed on 35 pounds in 2½ to 3 months.

“I would weight train in the morning and the night and then I would box for like three hours during the day. I memorized and learned Christy’s techniques and her moves and how she would carry herself in these fights.” (YouTube videos of actual fights reflect uncanny similarities).

Since the film spans decades, Sweeney adjusted her performance to show how Martin moved as she grew older. It was also essential that the fight scenes — including Martin’s well-known bout and defeat in 2003 to Laila Ali — ring with authenticity.

“Every fight that you see in the movie is actually the exact same combination of her fights in real life,” she said. “So not only was I teaching myself how to box like her, I was then also memorizing those exact combinations as well for those specific fights.”

Since the film also centers on the emotional and physical abuse that Martin endured (depicted mostly off-camera by Michôd, a decision Sweeney respects and praises), Sweeney and Foster (“Hell or High Water” and “Leave No Trace”) have some intense and physical scenes together.

“Any time you have material like this, of course it’s going to be heavy, it’s going to feel tough,” she said. But she and Foster, whom Sweeney describes as brilliant and incredible as the late Jim Martin, share a common acting desire: no rehearsals.

“We both believe in finding it in the moment and seeing what happens. I’ve always believed that I don’t rehearse in real life. And for me, you’ve gotta know the character and then if you know your character then you can live it and whatever happens will happen.”

For what’s happening now, Sweeney remains in demand and has taken on a variety of projects. After the release of “Christy,” there’s director Paul Feig’s “The Housemaid” (Dec. 25 release), a thriller based on Freida McFadden’s best seller. In 2026, “Euphoria” fans will finally be able to see her play Cassie Howard again for an eagerly awaited third season, and she’s slated to portray Kim Novak in Colman Domingo’s directorial debut “Scandalous!” about Novak and Sammy Davis Jr.’s relationship.

So does the extra-busy actor ever take a break or vacation?

“Oh, yeah, sometimes,” she said, adding, “I like to work. I can’t imagine not doing it.”