Three Hundred Dollar Baby

I have yet to see"Million Dollar Baby", though I have, unfortunately, been made privy to big plot twist in the movie. I was surprised to learn that the movie was based on a short story that was inspired by a true story. The story is one of a novice boxer (Katie Dallam) who, immediately after her first fight (against the-then untrained Sumya "Island Girl" Anani, now widely regarded as the best pound for pound female boxer in the world, in what was her 4th fight), collapsed and was found to have severe brain damage. As in the movie, there was suicidal ideation and a "live or die" decision made, and though Dallam has actually made a significant recovery, her life is irrevocably ruined by any honest measure. As with any story, there are at least two sides, Sumya's, and Stephanie Dallam's (the sister of the brain-damaged woman).

The undisputed facts: Dallam was a former member of the military, and a marathon runner who had some amateur kickboxing experience, and had trained for 6 weeks prior to this fight. She obtained her boxing license the day before the fight. She was in some type of car accident the night before the fight, and a passenger in her car was hospitalized. She was not hospitalized, and she did not report the crash to the ringside doctor or any officials involved in the production or sanctioning of the fight. Anani had been involved in boxing for less than 6 months, during which time she had had three professional fights, each of which she'd won. Anani had no previous amateur or professional boxing or martial arts training. Dallam was paid $300 for the fight.

The photo above shows Anani in action a few years ago, winning one of the several championship belts that she now holds.

Here's another Katie Dallam article in the NYT (you'll have to log in, but hey, it's free).