Townsville boxer Hayley Funlayson wins Queensland title on Gold Coast

A Townsville boxer has now set her sights on a world title after clinching her first Queensland title in only her second professional bout.

Townsville boxer Hayley Funlayson, with daughter Lena, has now set her sights on a world title after clinching her first Queensland title in only her second professional bout on the gold Coast last weekend. Picture: Evan Morgan

A Townsville boxer has now set her sights on a world title after clinching her first Queensland title in only her second professional bout on the Gold Coast last weekend.

Sword and Shield Boxing fighter Hayley Finlayson’s bout with Ali Jensen for the Queensland Super Flyweight Title was the main card for the Jamie Myers’ Trouble In Paradise tournament where Finlayson won a unanimous decision with a clinical six round display of perfection boxing.

She moved to Townville 18 months ago with her six-year-old daughter Lena, who comes to the Garbutt gym every session to watch her mother train, and said she felt alive every time she stepped into a ring.

“I just want to inspire my daughter and any other females just to get in there and give it a go. I think they’ll really learn about a lot about themselves as well along the way,” Finlayson said.

“I’ve learned that it’s just me against me, really. I’ve struggled a little bit with mental health over the years, as some of us usually do, and I’ve discovered it’s what I created in my own mind, and how far I really want to take it, and it’s what seeds I want to water.

“I’d rather water the seeds of achieving goals and challenging myself and testing myself outside of those comfort zones.”

Townsville boxer Hayley Funlayson has now set her sights on a world title after clinching her first Queensland title in only her second professional bout on the gold Coast last weekend. Picture: Evan Morgan

Finlayson said that now she has a state title under her belt it is time to dream about attaining a World Boxing Council (WBC) title.

“I feel really, really proud of myself and I feel inspired to, now that I’ve achieved that, to push myself a little bit further and see what else I can what else I can do,” she said.

“If I could inspire anybody, it’s just to get in there and get fear out of the way and just to challenge yourself, because there’s always so much more on the other side of that door.”

She is trained by Sword and Shield’s owner and head coach Scott Lindgren who said they had good preparation for the Gold Coast fight.

“We did all the work that was necessary to get it and she put on an amazing boxing performance,” Lindgren said.

“It was probably the fight of the night in the way of boxing, pure boxing, and it was the hit and not get hit game - six rounds of near perfection.”

He said a tilt at a WBC was potentially on the cards in the future.

“We’ll look at ticking some boxes off. We’ll start with that Australian title, and then from there, as soon as you get one of those, you start moving up the rankings, and next minute, you could get yourself a good shot at a world title,” Lindgren said.

He said Finlayson was the head female trainer at Sword and Shield and an inspiration and role model to the next generation of fighters.

“Let’s get more girls involved in the sport. You don’t know what you’re capable of doing until you can get in and do it.” he said.

Originally published as Townsville boxer Hayley Funlayson wins Queensland title on Gold Coast