Boxing event in Riviera Beach raising mental health and suicide awareness

Doors opened at Tate Recreation Facility at 4 p.m., and boxers and their families filled the gym for the third annual Sincere 2000 Foundation.

"Sincere 2000 got started in 2018 after we lost our son, Sincere, in 2018 to suicide," said co-organizer Cheryl Melvin.

The foundation is geared to bring awareness to mental health and suicide prevention.

Sincere and his father, Unique, shared a love for the sweet science of boxing. Three years ago, the late teen's parents started the Sincere 2000 Foundation Amateur Boxing Tournament, where countless boxers nationwide come to box, speak with mental health experts and compete for the gold trophy.

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"The reason why I even got into combat sports is because of mental health," Michael Lista said. "I think without boxing, without fighting, my mental health wouldn't be where it is today. This means everything. I think mental health should be the number one priority for the entire country."

The 24-year-old West Palm Beach resident made his boxing debut. Lista suffers from anxiety and credits combat sports as his safe haven.

"It's a dream, and this is why we do it," he said. "To be able to put on a show in front of Iron Mike Tyson and showcase what I'm capable of and what I can do."

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In addition to Iron Mike, current greats like Teofimo Lopez were at the event. You can see he's taking in a few pointers ahead of his upcoming fight from our very own Dave Bohman, who was the special announcer of the event.

"My wife and I decided that if we can raise awareness, then maybe other families don't have to go through it," Unique Melvin said. "They can come to Sincere 2000 and get all the help they need."