Million Dollar Baby

For anyone who was inspired and moved by Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby," you just have to be rooting for Gina Carano this Saturday night:

"Enrolled in psychology classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Carano was 30 pounds too heavy, rudderless, half-lost to drinking and chatting up other girls’ boyfriends by the time a friend’s muay Thai instructor finally called her a mess. And the church of athletic redemption narratives found itself another lost soul.

“I’ve only answered to God, sometimes my family, sometimes not, and fighting,” Carano said. “No relationship, no boyfriend, girlfriend; it’s the only thing that has kept me focused.”

"In time she was traveling the world, taking fights in Thailand and staving off concerned relatives. After a while she started making money. After a while she developed a sense of mission.

“I want it to be easier for other females to be able to walk into a gym and train, because it changed my life,” she said. “I live in Las Vegas, where it’s difficult to meet a gentleman who doesn’t think of you as a stripper or a piece of meat. I like the training and the lifestyle. I get to wake up and focus on myself and being better. It eliminates all the drama when you have to think about somebody punching you and taking your head off.” New York Times

Her next fight is on Showtime, August 16.