Retired professional boxer Prichard Colon died Thursday at age 33, his father, Richard Colon, confirmed on social media.
Colon, of Puerto Rico, suffered a traumatic brain injury during a welterweight fight against Terrel Williams in October 2015 in Fairfax, Virginia, during which he repeatedly complained about -- and was knocked down once by -- blows to the back of the head. The injuries resulted in Colon being left in a persistent vegetative state and under family care, as documented in this "Outside the Lines" report.
"Good morning, my people," Richard Colon wrote on Facebook in Spanish. "I regret to inform you of the passing of my son Prichard from his earthly world. He is now in a better place. I did everything possible to fulfill his wish, his dream of bringing him on vacation to Puerto Rico as he so deeply wanted, but it could not be done."
Colon was 23 when he sustained his life-altering injuries. He was considered a bright prospect at the time, having amassed a professional record of 16-0 with 13 knockouts. He lost the fight against Williams by disqualification because his cornermen removed his gloves after the 10th round, believing the bout was over.
In a statement posted to X on Thursday, World Boxing Organization president Gustavo Olivieri lauded Colon for his "courage, perseverance, and an extraordinary fighting spirit" in the wake of his injuries.
Both the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Association called Colon "a true warrior" in respective statements on X following his death.
An investigative report released in 2016 by the state of Virginia found that "while Colon's medical condition following the contest against Williams is tragic, there is not one action so apparent and/or egregious to justify laying blame on one person."
Colon's parents filed a $50 million lawsuit in 2017 against the ringside doctor and promoters connected with the fateful fight.
Luke Davidson, Outpatient Center Manager for Brooks Rehabilitation, where Colon had received physical, occupational and speech therapies dating back to 2018, said the boxer was "full of personality" and continued to fight every day.
"Prichard was and continues to be an inspiration for every patient and therapist who knew him at Brooks," Davidson said in a statement to ESPN. "His passion for life was contagious. He was as ready to play as he was to work; often dancing to the music playing in the background between exercises, and challenging me to shadow boxing."
Physically, Colon "demonstrated slow but steady progress," Davidson said, while noting the fighter "communicated intelligibly through head nods for yes/no and facial expressions," despite continuing to battle motor speech deficits.
"I will miss his playful headbutts and his demands to add more weight to his exercises. It is not easy to lose a Champion like Prichard Colon."
