8/14/24

One of the saddest moments in boxing history was the traumatic injury that former professional boxer Prichard Colon suffered in his loss to Terrel Williams back in 2015. Before that fight, Colon was 16-0 and looked to have a promising career ahead of him. In the Williams fight, however, he suffered repeated “rabbit” punches to the back of the head over the course of the nine rounds before the bout was stopped. In the moment, it didn’t look like much, and although Colon couldn’t continue, nobody knew what would come next.

Trouble began when the trauma to his brain took a downward spiral and left him in a coma. He would be in a coma for 221 days, and when he awoke, he was left in a vegetative state. His boxing career was left behind as he learned to deal with this new life dealt to him, most tragically. His situation sparked a lot of discussion about the severity of back-of-the-head shots and the dangers of boxing. While his case was the extreme of how the sport can affect the fighters, the dialog remains to this day. He battled with the disability for almost 11 years and was even making progress; it seemed in recovery over the past couple of years. Sadly, however, on Thursday, August 13th, he succumbed to his injuries after a long and ferocious battle.

He will go down as one of the biggest tragedies in boxing history and a big “what if” in the sport. He was young and on a path to success, and one fight changed it all. Thoughts are with Colon’s family during this time. Rest in Peace, Prichard Colon.

elisportsnetwork.com