A female boxer who defeated her “mumfluencer” rival in a bruising backyard bout has hit back after allegedly being stripped of her title and left without payment for the fight.
Brisbane content creator Sapphire Killeen, 29, faced Gold Coast mother Madi Hale in the garden of a property near Logan, in south-east Queensland, on September 5.
The contest, staged in temperatures of about 30C, was arranged by Tee Utia, founder of the unregulated boxing group The Fight Yard.
Instead of taking place inside a conventional boxing ring, the bout unfolded before a rowdy crowd separated from the fighters by worksite safety bunting and security guards.
Tickets sold for $50, while Killeen said competitors were promised a share of the tickets they sold to their own followers rather than a fixed fight purse.
The “Queen of the Yard” showdown was organised after the two women exchanged insults online over several months, including Killeen’s accusation that Hale had cheated on a partner.
Killeen had earlier challenged Gold Coast influencer Jess Te Huia to a fight after the Daily Mail reported on the now-infamous “Stepmum in the Bed” saga.
People associated with Hale alleged that Killeen had created a page exposing Hale’s personal affairs. Killeen denied the claim.
Brisbane influencer Sapphire Killeen was initially declared the winner
She was stripped of the title days later and says she has still not received her appearance payment
Hale, a mother of three, reportedly challenged Killeen to resolve their dispute in the ring. Killeen subsequently worked with Utia to put the fight together.
New Zealand-born Killeen was declared the winner after three punishing rounds, but the event quickly descended into disorder once the result was announced.
Organisers alleged that Killeen’s team had livestreamed part of the bout in breach of her contract. They then refused to pay the $2,353 Killeen said she was owed from ticket sales.
Killeen said she had intended to donate the money to Lifeline in memory of her father, who died by suicide two years ago.
Marketing firm The Brand Link Agency later donated the same amount to Lifeline on Killeen’s behalf.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Killeen said organisers had initially agreed to let competitors livestream the event. However, she said a contract presented on the day prohibited livestreaming.
“We stopped it there. And then we have gone in [to the venue] and saw that everyone else was recording, so we’re just going to do it too because that wasn’t fair,” she said.
The Fight Yard announced on social media last week that, “following a review of everything that occurred before, during, and after” the event, Killeen had officially been stripped of the Queen of the Yard title.
Gold Coast mother-of-three Madi Hale has since been named Queen of the Yard
Killeen had previously challenged Jess Te Huia, who was linked to the Daily Mail’s “Stepmum in the Bed” saga
‘The decision follows multiple issues that TFY considers to be breaches of the rules and conditions outlined in her signed fighter agreement, as well as the ongoing conduct surrounding the event.’
‘Madi Hale is officially the new Queen of the Yard’.
Killeen said being stripped of her win ‘felt like a personal attack’ because she had called the organisers out on social media for not sending her payment.
Hale said in the days before the fight, organisers claimed they had already sent her money, but after calling her bank, found it had never been sent.
She accused Utia of ‘faking’ a bank transfer receipt.
Killeen said that in the days before the fight, she began to feel the organisers were ‘siding’ with Hale – and speculated it may have been due to Hale’s higher social media reach.
Hale has 120,000 followers on Instagram, compared to Killeen’s 20,000.
‘The energy was just off… there were so many things where I was just like, “These guys are not on my team at all”.
‘Maybe because there’s some sort of following on the other side, it benefitted them.’
The Fight Yard founder Tee Utia took to TikTok to defend his bank transfer to Killeen
Killeen alleged Utia’s wife Genesis approached her minutes before she was due to step into the ‘ring’, and warned her to ensure the fight lasted three rounds, but to avoid injuring Hale because she was a mother.
‘She said, “Madi’s got her three girls to go home to, and at that point I was just like, “Are you serious?”
‘Once she mentioned her daughters, I was taken aback. I was like, we both agreed to this. We knew what we were doing. But at the end of the day, I am a human.’
On social media, Killeen has separately said Genesis also asked her to avoid ‘bruising’ Madi’s face.
Once in the ring, feeling deeply suspicious of the whole set-up, Killeen said she began to feel ‘unsafe’.
‘I didn’t know what could happen next,’ she said.
Still, Killeen rained blow after blow on her opponent, and on the day had her arm raised in victory by a masked referee.
Soon after the bout, Hale supporters claimed the women’s weights were ill-matched – something that is carefully regulated by sanctioned boxing organisations.
Killeen told the Daily Mail she began to feel ‘unsafe’ as the fight began
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Unperturbed by the drama, Killeen said she was initially ‘over the moon’ about her win.
‘I did it for the cause [Lifeline], I made my family proud, all those types of feelings,’ she said.
‘Straight from the beginning, [the organisers] knew that’s what it was for… not just for my dad, but lots of loved ones I’ve lost from suicide. It’s massive to me.’
But even while basking in the victory, she still felt something wasn’t right.
‘The bias thing, it comes into play constantly, because it just felt like that the whole time. So I knew I had won, but I still didn’t feel like I’d won, if that makes sense.’
After the fight, Killeen claimed her fears of bias were confirmed when she saw on social media that TFY organisers attended Hale’s after-party.
Killeen later attended a local nightclub to find Hale’s camp there – and TFY organisers in a booth alongside them.
In a statement to the Daily Mail on Wednesday, Utia ‘disputed the suggestion that there was bias towards Madi Hale’.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Tee Utia denied there was any ‘bias’ towards Hale
‘Neither TFY nor Genesis instructed Sapphire not to hit Madi in the face, and no instruction was given to manipulate the length or outcome of the fight,’ Utia said.
‘TFY also did not attend an afterparty following the event. We attempted to promote and tag both participants, and any inability to tag Sapphire at certain points was related to her account settings rather than an intentional decision not to promote her.’
Utia insisted the bank transfer was not ‘fabricated’.
‘TFY attempted to transfer the funds to Sapphire from its ANZ business account. The transaction did not ultimately settle and the funds were returned to TFY’s account. We have retained banking records relating to the attempted payment and return of funds,’ he said.
‘Following the unsuccessful transfer, a separate dispute arose regarding the signed participant agreement. Before the event, TFY communicated that unauthorised livestreaming and recording of the fights was prohibited because TFY was operating its own paid livestream.
‘TFY later became aware of footage being livestreamed or distributed from Sapphire’s side. TFY’s position is that this was inconsistent with the media and livestreaming obligations contained in the agreement, and the payment was therefore not reissued while that dispute remained unresolved.
‘Regarding the “Queen of the Yard” title, this is a TFY promotional title rather than an official boxing championship sanctioned by a governing body. TFY removed Sapphire from the title following the breakdown in the relationship between the parties and TFY’s position that participation obligations and standards had not been followed.
‘This was an internal TFY branding decision and separate from the sporting result of the bout itself.
Police have been called to a previous unregulated boxing match in a Brisbane recreation area
‘We recognise that Sapphire may dispute TFY’s position.’
Killeen said she now ‘110 per cent regrets’ getting involved in the boxing match in the first place.
‘I feel really depleted from it all. I don’t even really care that they stripped me of my crown, but my main concern is just letting other people know what they’ve done to me. I wouldn’t get involved with them,’ she warned.
‘It was so unprofessional. I don’t know what TFY’s goal is – they say it’s to get kids off the streets and everything like that, but it doesn’t seem that way.’
While unregulated boxing matches are not technically illegal in Queensland, police told the Daily Mail they were ‘concerned’ about the rise of backyard bouts.
In June, around 40 cops raided an event organised by TFY at the Springwood Reservoir in Logan, charging two men with public nuisance and one with drug possession.
Other videos show amateur boxers fighting in public spaces, warehouses and pedestrian tunnels – including one where men traded blows while standing on a concrete surface.
A police spokesperson has also cautioned Queenslanders against participating in or attending unregulated fight sports.
Killeen now feels ‘depleted’ by the experience and said she 110 per cent regrets it
‘Police have concerns regarding unregulated fighting events occurring in public places, particularly where there may be risks to participant and public safety,’ said a QPS spokesperson.
‘Police will assess any reports of unlawful behaviour on a case-by-case basis.
‘If officers become aware of events that present a risk to public safety or involve criminal offending, police may attend, gather intelligence, disrupt the activity where appropriate, and take enforcement action.
‘Depending on the circumstances, offences such as affray or other public order offences may be committed if the conduct causes fear, alarm or disturbance to members of the public.
‘Police also encourage organisers and participants to consider their legal obligations and responsibilities, including public safety requirements. There may also be compliance considerations for other agencies, including local government authorities.
‘Anyone who witnesses unlawful behaviour or has concerns about public safety is encouraged to report the matter to police.’
In response, Utia said: ‘TFY also recognises concerns raised regarding safety at grassroots combat events. For this event, TFY arranged security, controlled entry and implemented measures for participant and crowd safety.
‘We are reviewing our operations for future events, including insurance, medical arrangements, participant documentation, venue requirements and applicable regulatory obligations.’
Hale did not respond to a Daily Mail request for comment by the deadline provided.
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