In 2000, she starred in director Karyn Kusama’s Girlfight as a young woman trying to make it in the male-dominated boxing world ... early years in movies. Michelle Rodriguez’s mention of ...

IN A run-down boxing club in Brooklyn, where hunched old men hover in the shadows and ripped, wiry fighters flail at worn leather punch bags, Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez) discovers her dream.

Watching it now, I was struck by the balance between the boxing elements, the family drama, the character study, Michelle Rodriguez’s amazing performance, and the high school romance.

As moviegoers, of course, we may not feel that way. The concept of girls’ boxing seemed revolutionary back in 2000, when Michelle Rodriguez starred in “Girlfight,” Karyn Kusama’s gripping ...

By Seth Abramovitch Senior Writer With one movie, Michelle Rodriguez went from a Toys “R” Us employee with zero acting experience to a bona fide movie star. That movie was 2000’s Girlfight.