Phiri, who is sometimes called the "Laila Ali of Zambia" and sometimes "the real Million Dollar Baby", found herself torn, in the midst of her success, between her personal life and her professional goals. Her fame made her a symbol of women's independence – a position not everyone in her family or culture viewed as a positive thing. At the height of her success, she met a man to whom she became engaged, but found herself under pressure from her trainer not to marry because it would detract from her career, and on the personal side, to give up her career to invest in having a family. At that point, Phiri chose her career. This dilemma is a central theme of the film. In 2012, Phiri announced she was leaving boxing, though she made a comeback later on.
