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NEED TO KNOW
- Puerto Rican boxer Prichard Colón has died at age 33
- His father announced his death on social media on Thursday, Aug. 13, thanking loved ones for “so many years of love and prayers”
- Colón suffered a serious brain injury in a 2015 fight and remained severely disabled for the rest of his life
Puerto Rican boxer Prichard Colón has died more than a decade after he sustained a serious brain injury during a 2015 fight. He was 33.
His father, Richard Colón, announced his son’s death in a Facebook post on Thursday, Aug. 13.
“Good morning my people,” Richard wrote in a translation from his post’s original Spanish. “I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from this earthly world, now he is in a better world.”
“I did everything possible to fulfil his wish, his dream of bringing him on vacation to Puerto Rico as much as he desired but couldn’t. Thank you for so many years of love and prayers.”
Colón’s mother, Nieves Meléndez, wrote in a Facebook post that her son “now rests in God’s loving arms,” and thanked friends “from the bottom of my heart for your support, respect, and the love and kindness you have always shown to my son and to me.”
Credit: Bill Tompkins/Getty
A cause of death has not yet been made public.
Colón was viewed as a rising boxing talent when he came up against American fighter Terrel Williams in Fairfax, Va., on Oct. 17, 2015, at age 23.
During the bout, he told ringside doctor Richard Ashby between rounds that he felt dizzy but thought he would be able to continue, per ESPN.
Credit: Phelan M. Ebenhack/For The Washington Post via Getty
Colón was later disqualified after removing his gloves, apparently believing the fight was over. He then vomited and collapsed in his dressing room and was taken to the hospital, where doctors found he had suffered a brain bleed, the outlet reported.
After surgery, he went into a coma for 221 days. He remained severely disabled for the rest of his life, unable to speak, receiving physical therapy and using a computer to communicate, per The Independent.
Credit: Phelan M. Ebenhack/For The Washington Post via Getty
The World Boxing Organization paid tribute to Colón following his death, describing him as “a warrior to the very end” in an X post.
“The WBO family mourns the passing of Prichard Colón, whose courage, strength, and fighting spirit transcended the ring,” it wrote. “His greatest fight became a testament to resilience and the unwavering love of his family.”
Colón, who was born on Sept. 19, 1992, to Puerto Rican parents in Maitland, Fla., moved to the island at the age of 10 so he could represent it in boxing, per the BBC.
As an amateur fighter, he won national titles in two weight divisions and earned gold at the 2010 Pan American Youth Championship. He attempted to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics but lost out in the third round of the qualifying process, the BBC reported.
He made his professional debut in February 2013 and won all 16 of his fights until he came up against Williams, according to the outlet.
In 2017, his parents filed a lawsuit seeking more than $50 million from Ashby and the match’s organizers. It remains unresolved, per the BBC.
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That same year, Williams, who retired from the sport two years later, refused any blame but said he prayed for Colón “every day.”
“I would never intentionally harm someone like that,” he told The Ring. “I don’t place any blame on myself. I prayed about it. I wish the young man really well. It’s a hard situation on me and a hard situation on Colon’s family.”
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