J LO can take a lot of punches

Jennifer Lopez flaunts her toned figure in a boxing-themed photoshoot for V magazine.

Styled by Carine Roitfeld, the American Idol judge wears gloves, a groin protector and a crop top in the revealing images for a 12-page spread.

Jennifer Lopez appears in V Magazine

In the accompanying interview, Lopez says that she knows how to fight her way through a tough industry: “I’ve always felt like a tough girl from the Bronx, but I have a soft core. I can take a lot of punches and still keep going. I’ve been trained like a boxer to go 15 rounds.”

On the lower points of her singing and acting career, the defiant 42-year-old said: “You’re not going to hit the target or the bull’s-eye every time. That’s part of it.

Jennifer Lopez appears in V Magazine

“At the end of the day, I made those choices. I’ve been in the business now, I don’t want to say how many years. You have amazing moments of recognition and success. But at this point in my life, I try to take it all with a grain of salt.”

Jennifer Lopez appears in V Magazine

Discussing her relationship with ex-husband Marc Anthony – with whom she split from last summer – the mother-of-two said that she and Anthony will remain connected.

Jennifer Lopez appears in V Magazine

“I mean, we’re parents and friends first. That will be the thread that ties us together,” she said. “I don’t know if people expect it to be negative just because the [intimate] relationship didn’t work out.”

Jennifer Lopez appears in V MagazeinThe full interview appears in the new issue of V Magazine, out now.