The Fight Against Suicide brings students, educators and the combat sports community together to promote mental health awareness, prevention and access to support.
ISKA is supporting The Fight Against Suicide (TFAS), a student-led initiative that uses boxing events and campus activities to raise awareness about suicide prevention and connect young people with mental health resources.
The initiative began following the death of Sam Asbury in 2020. In response to that loss, students organized a boxing event in Athens, Georgia, in 2021. What started as a single gathering has since grown into a movement reaching college campuses across the United States.
At the center of the initiative is a straightforward goal: help students recognize when someone may be struggling, encourage conversations about mental health and make professional support easier to access.
Through its Fight Week programming, TFAS brings together suicide prevention education, counseling resources, mentorship opportunities and campus events. Participants can also receive QPR training, which teaches people how to recognize warning signs and respond when someone may be experiencing a suicidal crisis.
According to materials provided by TFAS, the initiative has raised more than $2 million for mental health resources and reached approximately 20,000 students nationwide. More than 550 people have completed QPR training, over 100 students have been connected with counseling services, and more than 225 student leaders, volunteers and interns have participated across 15 campuses.
The organization’s 2026 activities included its sixth annual Fight at UGA, scheduled for October 2 at Akins Ford Arena in Athens, Georgia, along with additional events at campuses in several states.
ISKA contributes to the initiative by sanctioning and supervising TFAS boxing events. Its involvement connects the organizational structure of competitive combat sports with a student-led effort focused on education, prevention and community support.
Although the events take place in a boxing environment, the initiative’s purpose extends beyond competition. By bringing students together around a shared activity, TFAS creates opportunities to discuss a subject that can be difficult to address openly.
The program also highlights an important role that sports organizations can play outside their usual competitive activities: bringing people together, supporting community initiatives and helping direct attention toward resources that may benefit participants and their families.
For ISKA, supporting The Fight Against Suicide reflects a commitment to the communities connected through combat sports and to the students working to make mental health conversations more accessible.
If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing a crisis, help is available in the United States. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
ISKA World News report
ISKA Supports Student-Led Suicide Prevention Initiative Across U.S. Campuses The Fight Against Suicide brings students, educators and the combat sports.
Edited and adapted by Luis Costa, News Editor, ISKA World News
