Christy Martin has launched a heartfelt defence of Sydney Sweeney following recent criticism of the actress

Christy wrote on the photo-sharing platform: "I've always been a fighter. My life reflected that in every way and now I fight for others. The past few days I have seen some people attack my friend Sydney Sweeney. Syd not only worked her a** off for this film, she worked her a** off for me. For my story. For so many others suffering in silence. So I want to be clear about who Syd is. She is my friend and ally!

"#christymartin #sydneysweeney #christy #boxing #knockout (sic)"

Christy voiced her support for Sydney after Ruby Rose blasted the blonde beauty, describing her as a "cretin".

The 39-year-old actress lashed out at the Euphoria star on Threads for her portrayal of the boxer and domestic abuse survivor.

Ruby - who was originally cast in the movie before being replaced - wrote: "The original Christy Martin script was incredible. Life changing. I was attached to play Cherry. Everyone had experience with the core material. Most of us were actually gay. It's part of why I stayed in acting. Losing roles happens all the time."

Ruby added of Sydney: "For her PR to talk about it flopping and saying SS did it for the 'people'. None of 'the people' want to see someone who hates them, parading around pretending to be us. You're a cretin and you ruined the film. Period. Christy deserved better."

Prior to that, Sydney took to social media to defend the movie, which has so far flopped at the box office.

The actress wrote on Instagram: "thank you to everyone who saw, felt, and believed and will believe in this story for years to come. if christy gave even one woman the courage to take her first step toward safety, then we will have succeeded. so yes I'm proud. why? because we don't always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact. and christy has been the most impactful project of my life. thank you christy. i love you. (sic)"